Destiny's Choice
by Ice-Princess-Amber
Summary: The Millenium war is about to start, and Circle Starlight is caught in the middle
1. Planning their escape

Disclaimer: I do not own the Nightworld, the Millennium War thing, Julian, Blaise Harman, or any of the other names copyrighted by L.J. Smith. I DO own Circle Starlight tho, and all said character related to that.  
  
  
  
Destiny's Choice  
  
The Millenium was finally here. After ten thousand years of waiting, the Night People were ready. It was Midnight vs. Daybreak for control of the world. Circle Starlight was having an emergency meeting on Christmas day to discuss the upcoming battle. "All right everyone, sit down and shut-up," Angel Redfern ordered, tossing her light-brown hair over her shoulder. It fell in permed curls to her hips.  
  
"Calm down, Angel," one of her best friends replied. Looking at the blonde across from her through yellow eyes, the vampire princess just sighed. Kat Vatavitch shook her head, brushing away her feathery bangs until the view through her violet irises was clear.  
  
"Just tell everyone what we need to know," the boy next to Kat added. His dirty-blonde hair was unruly and in desperate need of a comb. Eyes of amber were clearly focused on the girl next to him. Angel sighed as she saw their interlocked fingers. Kitten and Austin Tyler made a cute couple.  
  
"Okay, but only for you. Now then, you all realize we have only a week left until the Millenium hits, right?"  
  
"But why does that affect us?" Derrick Johnson asked. His jade-green eyes clearly showed the puzzlement he was feeling.  
  
"I thought I explained all of this to you?" another blonde asked, ruffling her younger brother's reddish-brown hair. Amber sat back with a mischievous light in her ice-blue eyes, but also had a serious look on her pale face. That serious look was an echo of Angel's pacing.  
  
"When the Millenium comes the humans will lose their control over the world unless Circle Daybreak and the Wild Powers help them. The four Wild Powers have the blue fire in their blood, which will be used to fight the oncoming darkness," Derrick rattled off while rolling his eyes. Then he tugged on Amber's ice-blonde hair. "Happy?" He let the strand of pale silk go and watched it fall midway to her waist.  
  
"But we're not affiliated with CD or CM," a deep voice broke in.  
  
"So, Old-Souls do actually talk about sensible things," was the teasing retort. Blaise Harman fixed her storm-gray eyes on Sage Carter. The older boy stared back with hazel eyes, a peaceful attitude surrounding his entire body. "You're good," the witch acknowledged after a few minutes. The werewolf simply smiled and bowed his head slightly. He was the only one who had ever resisted Blaise's direct eye contact.  
  
"Can we please get to the point?" Marik Tyler whined, Amber's head on his shoulder. Although the older of the two brothers, Marik wasn't always the more mature one.  
  
"Chill out, Marik." That was Jason, always ready to take it slow. Although his emerald-green eyes were alert, the rest of his body seemed relaxed. But everyone knew he could spring into action at a moment's notice. 'Shifters and vampires were lucky like that. He brushed a strand of coal-black hair away from his face.  
  
"Can you guys shut-up and let me talk?" Angel asked, starting to get annoyed. Men could be so trying at times.  
  
"Sorry," everyone chorused in reply.  
  
"Good. Now for the point of this meeting. In one week the year two thousand will begin. For ten thousand years our people have been cast underground while the humans freely multiply. Circle Midnight is all set to put the Night People back on top. But Circle Daybreak and the Wild Powers are willing to sacrifice everything to keep the humans safe. My question is: Where does Circle Starlight fit in?" Everyone was silent for a few minutes before Amber spoke.  
  
"Why do we have to fit in somewhere? Can't we just go underground until this thing blows over?" The young man sitting behind her answered:  
  
"Amber, that's almost impossible. If you're part of the Night World you're either a Midnighter or a Daybreaker. CS only exists to us and a few other groups. We legally don't have any say in this."  
  
"What about the Night Raiders, Daemon?" Derrick asked the oldest witch, meeting his black eyes.  
  
"They were CMers, but no one knows where they are. A few days ago they disappeared without a trace," Austin replied quietly. All eyes immediately focused on him.  
  
"What did you say?" a girl with dark-red hair asked him, an edge of fear in her voice. Circle Starlight and the Night Raiders were long-time friends. The boy next to her patted her shoulder lightly, his hazel eyes meeting her emerald ones in a quiet understanding that only couples have.  
  
"Don't panic, Ruby. If anyone can stay hidden until after the Millenium, it's us and the Night Raiders," the teen next to Angel assured her. His moonlight-white hair shone brightly as the sun's dying rays reflected off it. Eyes that were an indescribable color of blue made all the girls' hearts race if they looked into them. Julian was a seducer from centuries back, being the youngest Shadow Man.  
  
"Jules is right. If they can get away from this whole stupid war, then so can we," Blaise agreed.  
  
"So we're going to hide?" Ruby's significant other wondered out loud. Peter had a disgusted look on his face.  
  
"It beats getting staked," Marik shot back. Angel stood up to dismiss the group. Her decision had been made.  
  
"You guys have one day to put your affairs in order. The day after tomorrow we'll meet back here. Pack your cars with clothes, food, weapons, and anything you can't bear to leave behind. See you all then." They all walked out to their separate cars in silence and went home, contemplating the serious matter at hand.  
  
* * *  
  
Julian helped Angel pack up what she needed, but he noticed a strain about her mouth and a worried look in her navy-blue eyes. "What's wrong, my angel?" That was his loving nickname for her, and she smiled faintly at him.  
  
"Nothing Jules." But the Shadow Prince knew his princess too well.  
  
"It's about the phone-call from Ash, isn't it?" he asked, referring to the phone conversation between herself and a cousin, Ash Redfern, which had happened just yesterday. Angel whirled around to face him, her eyes a smoldering dark-green.  
  
"Every Redfern is being asked to declare their allegiance. If they're not with CM and the Night World, they're being executed as traitors!" she yelled in his face. Then she pressed her face against his shoulder. 'My family is killing itself,' she whispered in his mind.  
  
'We are your family,' he assured her, holding her close. She wiped away a single tear and smiled through her now chocolate-brown eyes.  
  
"And sometimes more." They both smiled at the private joke and returned to packing. The rest of the group was due to arrive in a few hours.  
  
* * *  
  
Amber and Derrick were throwing suitcases into a small trailer when Marik and Austin arrived at their house. "Got everything?" Austin sarcastically wondered. He always marveled at the Johnsons' ability to pack everything.  
  
"We still have clothes and more weapons to pack," Amber replied seriously. She decided not to let Austin's comment annoy her.  
  
"Daemon and Jason are getting the food ready," Derrick added.  
  
"Need help with anything?" Marik offered. Amber smiled at him.  
  
"Always." The two of them disappeared inside the house while Austin and Derrick loaded up the other luggage.  
  
"Are you guys taking all your hardware?" the older boy asked, pointing to a sword case.  
  
"Yeah. And the bedrooms are almost bare. What about you two?"  
  
"I'm taking Kat in the station wagon, so Marik is going with you four in Daemon's pick-up. Aside from loading dummy's gear into the trailer and Kat's stuff into my car, we're all set." Derrick mentally ran through the people who would be in each car.  
  
"So it's you and Kat, Angel has Blaise and Julian, Peter's with Sage and Ruby, and Daemon is taking Jason, Marik, Amber, and me?"  
  
"Sounds right. Look, I've got to go pick up Blaise and Kat. They're spending the night before we meet at Angel's at midnight. Before I go we'll load up my brother's junk." The two boys worked quickly and then Austin left. Derrick found the three other boys in the kitchen, then located Amber in her room, taking a last look around.  
  
"Get some sleep, Derrick. We've only got five hours until we leave," she absent-mindedly ordered.  
  
"I'll sleep in the car. Are you okay?"  
  
"No. Mom and Dad will be left behind."  
  
"They're buried six feet under. Even if people come, they won't think to look under the woodpile," he reassured her. She smiled softly.  
  
"Thanks buddy. Now get some sleep."  
  
"Only if you do." They both laughed and went to take quick naps before they would need to be at Angel's. 


	2. Guests?

Disclaimer: I own any original Circle Starlight members, and the Night Raiders.  
  
Chapter 2  
  
Angel heard the cars pull into the driveway as she pulled on her leather jacket. "Ready?" Julian asked from the door. She took a deep breath and fluffed out her hair, satisfied with her reflection of absolute calmness.  
  
"Ready." Amber and Jason were standing next to Daemon's red truck, waiting for instructions. Marik and Derrick were in the back seat, both asleep. Peter was at the wheel of his silver Nissan, Ruby in the passenger seat. Sage was talking to Daemon about possible safehouses. Austin and Kat were talking quietly and giggling. Blaise came striding up to Angel, her hips swaying all the while.  
  
"We ready?" she asked, looping her arms around Julian's waist and ignoring Angel's dagger-like stare.  
  
"I think so. We just need to double-check car assignments," Sage answered, wanting to make sure everything was in order.  
  
"Peter, Sage, and Ruby are in the Nissan. Austin and Kat will take the station wagon while Angel has Julian and Blaise in her Ferrari. Daemon is driving Jason, me, and the two sleeping beauties," Amber read from her Chronicler book. Angel smiled and nodded at her.  
  
"Okay folks, let's get the hell outta here." She climbed into her black car, and Julian slid in beside her. Blaise had the whole back to herself.  
  
"Ang', where are we going?" Kat called out.  
  
"Just keep the links open. I'll direct you that way." Everyone nodded and climbed into their vehicles. With Angel in the lead the caravan left the residential area and headed for the highway. Marik woke up an hour later.  
  
"Where are we?" he mumbled. Amber turned around in the front seat to look at him. His light-brown hair was sleep-tousled and kept falling in front of his steel-gray eyes. She sighed happily and giggled.  
  
"We're almost to the city. Angel wants us to communicate by telepathy only," she perkily replied. Jason looked groggily at his digital watch, his emerald eyes threatening to close any moment.  
  
"It's one o'clock in the morning. How can you be this awake?" he playfully demanded.  
  
"Coffee. Lots and lots of coffee." Daemon chuckled as the other boys groaned. Ten minutes later the three in the back seat were fast asleep. Amber then heard Angel's soft voice.  
  
'We'll go through the city and then get off at exit fifty-four.'  
  
'Okay,' Kat replied  
  
'No problem,' Sage added.  
  
'Ten-four,' Amber echoed, relaying the directions to Daemon verbally. He quickly checked a small pocket map.  
  
"Fifty-four? That'll take us out of the state," he noted.  
  
'And the plot thickens' Kat's high voice whispered to Amber.  
  
'Hey, a few of us are trying to sleep,' Derrick complained. A soft giggle was heard and then there was silence. The city came into view: The bright lights, loud sounds, and general busyness. Blaise rolled down her window and took a deep breath.  
  
"Aaah, city life," she sighed. A few rowdy teenagers spotted her and howled like wolves.  
  
"Hey baby!" one yelled.  
  
"Come home with us, doll!" another added. Blaise smiled and dropped her lashes to her cheeks. The boys went wild.  
  
"If you can find me, I'm yours," she called back, throwing out a kiss. Then she rolled up her window.  
  
"Aphrodite never sleeps," Angel mused. Blaise laughed.  
  
"They're like sheep. It's almost too easy."  
  
"Well get it out of your system. Where we're going, there won't be any sheep." Blaise frowned at her comment, but shrugged and went back to the window, not allowing Angel's pessimism to get her down.  
  
* * *  
  
Bright sunlight dragged Kat out of her peaceful slumber. "Where are we?" she asked, stretching in the seat and yawning. Austin smiled tiredly at her.  
  
"We're in Vermont. Angel has us going into the middle of nowhere." The witch sat up and gazed out the window. A lush valley with forests and a lake lay below them. In the middle of a patch of forest there was a large circular clearing. Kat shook her head as a feeling of deja`-vu settled on her.  
  
"Weird. I could almost swear I've been here before." Austin nodded while keeping his eyes on the road.  
  
"I guess we'll find out when we get to wherever we're going." Derrick was staring out the window as the group wound its way into the valley. He had never seen such wide-open space. Now he knew why vampires lived so close to cities. Hunting was okay for celebrations and emergencies, but human blood was a better choice in the long run. Well, at least the 'shifters would be happy.  
  
"This place is so… So open," he commented. Daemon smiled at him in the rear-view mirror.  
  
"Welcome to Vermont, where Mother Nature still has a foothold." A few minutes later Angel stopped her car and got out. Everyone else followed suit, gazing at the scenery  
  
"It's beautiful," Ruby proclaimed as she stepped out of the car and stretched. Sage nodded in agreement.  
  
"A good hunting range," he added. Peter took a whiff of the cool air.  
  
"So how long are we staying here?" No one could answer his question. Austin leaned heavily on the station wagon's roof, incredibly tired after the ten- hour drive.  
  
"Just point me to a nice soft place so I can sleep," he mumbled. Daemon and Derrick woke the others in the truck. Amber yawned sleepily and rubbed her eyes, focusing on the landscape. A second later she was wide awake and her mouth hung open slightly.  
  
"This place?" she asked in astonishment. All eyes watched as she began looking around.  
  
"What's wrong?" Jason asked curiously.  
  
"This is where CS first began," Kat gasped as the memories came flooding back to her.  
  
"She's right. Circle Midnight has a huge underground facility here. We came here a few years ago for a big meeting," Amber agreed.  
  
"That's where we first met you guys," Marik broke in.  
  
"Yes, and we defeated some Hunters with the help of the Night Raiders and a few others," Sage added.  
  
"And then you guys split off to become Circle Starlight," Blaise remembered. Angel just nodded at all of them.  
  
"I had a feeling you'd remember once we got here. This was CM's headquarters until the Hunters showed up. After that, it was abandoned and all records of its location were destroyed. But I remembered where it was," she said, tapping her head and smiling. She walked over to a pine tree and pushed a small knot in the bark. A door swung out and Angel ushered them down the flight of stairs. "Jules, will you bring the cars down, por favor?" she called back sweetly.  
  
"As my lady wishes." With that, he and the four vehicles vanished. The door in the tree closed, leaving no evidence of the thirteen teens who had just been there.  
  
* * *  
  
The group walked silently down the metal stairs before Angel stopped them. "This place is huge," Jason whispered, staring in awe at the large room they were in. Doors and hallways were everywhere, leading even further into the facility. Julian was waiting in one of the hallways, tapping his foot in mock impatience. He'd simply blinked himself and the vehicles down there.  
  
"This way to your rooms," he told them, starting down the long corridor, pretending to be a British butler.  
  
"Walk this way," Peter said, impersonating Igor. Laughing at the human-turned-'shifter, they found out where they would be staying. Every hotel-like room had three beds, closets, bureaus, a full bathroom, and a TV. Austin walked wearily into one room and flopped onto a bed.  
  
"Goodnight," he said as Derrick also chose a bed to crash on. Jason, Daemon, and Marik went next door. After Peter lightly kissed Ruby, he and Sage went into the third room of the row. Blaise and Kat were across the hall from Austin and Derrick while Angel and Julian went next to them.  
  
"I guess we're roommates," Amber said with a smile as she turned to her red-haired friend.  
  
"Guess so." The two girls opened the door across from Peter and Sage's room, shutting it behind them. They wanted peace and quiet. "So what do we do now?" Ruby asked as she lay on her bed. Amber stared at the white sheets for a moment, feeling their cool softness.  
  
"I think we should get some sleep. Then I want to check this place out." Ruby smiled and closed her eyes.  
  
"I am all for that plan." A few minutes later they were both asleep.  
  
* * *  
  
Sensing a presence just outside the door, Amber snapped open her eyes. 'Ruby, we got company.' The other girl rolled off her bed silently and came to Amber in full shifted form: A red wolf.  
  
'I'm ready.' The door opened softly and a girl walked in. Her shoulder-length hair was the color of old gold, and her yellow eyes were clearly startled. She dropped her suitcase and bolted down the hall. Ruby howled and gave chase. Other strangers came running out of the rest of CS' rooms, with everyone else in the group following them. They finally cornered most of them and it looked like a fight would ensue, when a voice reached Angel's ears.  
  
"Angel of mercy, spare them!" the high but familiar voice pleaded. Circle Starlight whirled around to see Amy Winston and the other Night Raiders standing there. Angel motioned towards the group of unknowns, all the while looking at her former gang.  
  
"You guys have five minutes to tell us what in Isis' name is going on," she calmly told them. 


	3. Names, Hints, and the great Escape

Disclaimer: Anyone besides those that I've already stated owning are copyright their respective creators.  
  
  
  
Chapter 3  
  
Amy smiled sheepishly while Alex moved up to stand beside her. The tiny vampire-witch's blue eyes and blonde hair gave her the appearance of a delicate china doll, although she was anything but. Alex looked like a "Ken" doll, with his eyes a deeper blue and his hair a shade darker than sunshine-blonde. The two soulmates made a good pair. "Well it's a long story, but-" he started to explain.  
  
"Just give us the Reader's Digest version," Blaise interrupted, folding her arms and tapping her foot impatiently. The high-heeled black boot made a clicking sound on the floor.  
  
"These are drop-outs of Circle Midnight and Circle Daybreak," a raven- haired girl replied, moving to Amy's other side. Emerald-green eyes burned with a fire all their own, and the Johnsons smiled warmly at Tyrna Goddard, their childhood friend.  
  
"Drop-outs?" Angel asked, looking for more clarification.  
  
"They don't want to die. Now that the Millenium is almost here, it started to sink in that there's really going to be a battle," Tyrna told her. The golden girl who had been in Ruby and Amber's room stepped forward and cleared her throat.  
  
"Any Daybreakers that are here followed the six back there," she informed everyone, pointing to a group a little apart from the strangers.  
  
"Thanks Kalli, we love you too," a brown-haired girl sarcastically said. Her chestnut-brown eyes were the color of her shoulder-length hair, and a hunter's light shown in them. Any 'shifter would recognize her and the boy next to her for what they were: Kindred spirits. Angel stared at her for a moment, realizing she knew the small group.  
  
"Bobbi? Bobbi Cage?" At the mention of her name, the bobcat came forward and bowed respectfully.  
  
"Hi Angel. We didn't know you were coming."  
  
"We would've called, but you never left us your phone number," a tenor voice added as the boy next to Bobbi put his hands on her shoulders. Brown eyes glittered from beneath his mop of dirty-blonde hair, and he looked dangerous in a contained-fury sort of way.  
  
"Hi Mike," Austin said as he waved. The mountain lion smiled back.  
  
"Well as long as we're doing introductions, how about the rest of us?" another deep voice added. Eyes of silver-gray gave away his identity.  
  
"Lucas!" Angel squealed, giving her cousin a big hug. Luke Redfern just grinned like a Cheshire Cat and introduced the golden one who had first spoken. She was waiting patiently for him to acknowledge her.  
  
"Angel, this is Kalli Redfern. She's Garnet's grand-daughter too," he explained, smoothing down his unruly brownish-black hair. Angel's grandmother had been Garnet Redfern, first-born daughter of Hunter Redfern, who had been the most powerful lamia up until his recent death by a Wild Power. Garnet's eldest son had been Angel's father. Her youngest son must be Kalli's father. Luke's father was the middle son. Garnet's eldest daughter had married a Rasmussen, producing another line of lamia. Her second daughter married a Tyler, and that was still another branch. And the youngest child, another girl, had married a Johnson, who fathered three more boys. That eldest son had been Amber and Derrick's father, while the youngest had sired their cousin, Rain, a Midnighter. The middle son was father to Nissa, now a Daybreaker. The two Redfern girls shook hands.  
  
"Pleased to meet you," Kalli greeted, her grip very firm and her yellow eyes never leaving Angel's face. The vampire princess liked her immediately, which was rare for her.  
  
"Likewise." The three people behind Luke came into the light, the boy with his arm securely around one girl's waist and a contented smile on his lips. She looked very happy herself.  
  
"Hello," the couple greeted everyone in perfect unison. Peter nodded at Patrick and his girlfriend Julie. His light-brown eyes and her hazel- green ones were filled with a sense that they had seen too much in a short time. The two made-vampires had first met at the CM facility two years ago, when Patrick had been a Night Raider. His friends, especially John, urged him to seek refuge in CD after he had made Julie a vampire without the Joint Council's permission. Ruby smiled at Julie, flashing her slightly pointed teeth. With a flip of her reddish-brown braid, the other girl flashed her extended canines at the wolf. Patrick just blushed a deep crimson all the way up to his dark-red hair.  
  
"Impressive," the red-haired vixen replied. Meanwhile, the other girl was now standing next to Luke and looking the CS boys up and down.  
  
"You can say that again," she commented to Ruby's statement, but meaning something else entirely. Blaise glared at her with cool eyes.  
  
"Don't even think about it." Sapphire-blue eyes stared back into her gray ones, a hint of a smile in the look.  
  
"I would never dream of it, wise Aphrodite. I was just assessing the toys you brought." Under her mahogany-brown hair her face held a secret smile, like she delighted in unnerving people.  
  
"We aren't her toys," Daemon argued hotly. Luke put his arm around the girl and looked a bit embarrassed.  
  
"You'll have to excuse Miss Allbright. Sometimes she likes to make trouble. But I guess some of you already know Melody." Amber smiled at the perky witch, who had been immense help with a band of Hunters last time they were here.  
  
"Yeah, we know her," Marik replied as he and Austin exchanged glances with the smiling girl. They had been the ones to introduce Melody to Circle Starlight and the Night Raiders.  
  
"Marik, you're blushing," Daemon informed him with a low whisper. The lamia quickly regained a hold on his emotions. Now Kalli began to introduce the other people with her.  
  
"That's Nalaria Vale; the immortal mage, Lord Delvain Tremere; a made- vampire, Norei Oakheart; a witch, Jezabell; a panther 'shifter, Raven; a raven 'shifter, Crystal and Moonlight Redfern; my little sisters, the twins Chandra and Dagan Harman, along with their cousin Faith, Teia Drake; a dragon, and Acilacia Winterfell Redfern. She was Hunter's soulmate."  
  
"Hunter's what?" Angel asked in astonishment, her gaze fixed on the fire-truck-red-haired woman with sizzling-green eyes. She moved with the grace of a 'shifter, vampire, and goddess all rolled into one. Later, Angel, Kat, and Blaise would try to figure out just how that was possible. And although she could pass for late twenties, every vampire in the room knew she was extremely old.  
  
"I was Hunter's wife and soulmate, but that was centuries ago," her husky voice informed the young Redfern. Angel could only nod.  
  
"Don't forget about us!" an indignant voice called across the room. A mop of curly orange-red hair fell just above the girl's shoulders, and her jade-green eyes were both serious and fun. Her light voice was musical, and like a melodious bell.  
  
"Dahlia!" Kat yelled excitedly, running to embrace the older girl. Dahlia Drache opened her arms wide to catch her friend. Every 'shifter in the room bowed or curtseyed in the presence of their princess.  
  
"Hi tiger," Angel said, winking at the lame joke. Dahlia wrinkled her nose and grinned.  
  
"Hi yourself, lamia." The three girls who stood next to her hugged Kat as well, glad to see her.  
  
"Unity Blaise," one of them said, her violet eyes calm and friendly. Her mousy-brown hair was up in a tight bun, bringing out her rosy cheeks and small mouth.  
  
"Unity Skye," Blaise returned the traditional greeting. The two girls were cousins, except that Skye was an Eirne now, her father having remarried after her mother's death when she was a small child.  
  
"Hello Sage," a soft voice greeted him, its owner stepping forward and bowing respectfully to him. Sage was speechless as he quickly returned the gesture. "Are you happy to see me?" Blue-gray eyes held in their depths the knowledge of centuries past.  
  
"Always Leah," the other Old-Soul replied. Leah Martin nodded shyly while playing with a strand of golden-brown hair, twirling the shoulder- length piece around her finger. On top of being an Old-Soul, the quiet girl was also a lost witch. Jason was looking from Sage to Leah and back again, trying to figure out what was going on. He'd never seen his friend act so strange, especially around a girl.  
  
"They like each other," a strange voice whispered in his ear as he felt warm breath on his neck. Turning around slowly, he stood staring into liquid-brown eyes. "Hi, I'm Lyca Richards," she introduced.  
  
"Hello," he replied softly, continuing to stare at her. Her hair came to her chin in soft dark-brown waves, framing her tan face perfectly.  
  
"Oooh, another wolf," Ruby quipped as she and Lyca looked each other up and down. A wave of power from each of the girls swept over everyone in the room.  
  
"You must be Ruby. Nice to finally meet you." Lyca smiled a toothy grin, which Ruby returned.  
  
"What was that about?" Derrick whispered to his sister.  
  
"Ruby and Lyca just tested each other. They're equals." Then Amber whispered inside Jason's mind. 'Lyca isn't your type. Men are too easy for her.' He just blushed and patted her hand. Angel was looking around at the large group, her mind working overtime.  
  
"Okay, why don't we all sit down somewhere and figure this out?"  
  
"What do we need to figure out?" Matt Rasmussen asked. His pale-gray eyes were full of timelessness, as if he had seen the creation of the world. Tyrna smoothed down his light-brown hair, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.  
  
"What we're going to do when the Millenium strikes," Julian clarified, finally speaking out loud. Alan, Matt's younger brother, scratched his head for a moment, making his dirty-blonde hair even more unruly.  
  
"Well, James and Poppy are sitting all alone in one of the meeting rooms." That got CS' attention.  
  
"James Rasmussen and Poppy North? The vampire soulmates from Circle Daybreak?" Austin asked, wondering who else would show up from the depths of the Night World. Hey, maybe the dead Hunter himself might even make an appearance the way things were going.  
  
"Yeah. Poppy and Kalli talked James into ditching the hippies," John told them, his cinnamon-brown eyes showing a trace of disgust. Every CMer had nicknames for the Daybreakers, "hippie" being a pretty close description of what they were. Kalli locked eyes with him.  
  
"Hey, I used to be a hippie." Lord Delvain rolled his black eyes and patted her shoulder. He looked about twenty or so, but was probably at least two or three hundred if he had the title of "Lord".  
  
"Please don't start anything, Lady Kalli. They might not let us stay if you do," he wisely cautioned. Oh yeah, he was definitely a Daybreaker. She nodded and lowered her eyes with a sigh. Amy and Tyrna simultaneously smacked John upside his head. They wanted to mess up his hair too, but the spice-brown crewcut was too short.  
  
"Ow!" he said as he rubbed his head and stared sorrowfully at them.  
  
"Be nice," Amy warned. Moonlight and Crystal, tired of just standing around, were heading down the hall towards the meeting room already.  
  
"Come on, slowpokes! Let's go see James and Poppy!" they called back impatiently. Hey, they didn't look older than twelve, so Angel cut them some slack. With shrugs and nods the large group thundered down the hall until they were in the meeting room. Sitting at the far end of a long pine table were the legendary soulmates James and Poppy, who looked up when everyone came barreling in.  
  
"Hi everyone," Poppy greeted jovially. She slipped off her oak chair and came towards them, one pale hand outstretched and a friendly look in her mint-green eyes. Her hair was loose and falling to her elbows in copper curls. With her upturned nose, small mouth, and overall shortness, Poppy looked every bit the pixie she was rumored to be. She was actually a lost witch, but James had made her a vampire to save her from pancreatic cancer. No one ever brought it up around either of them, but they all knew.  
  
"Hi Poppy," Kat answered, her mind in a whirl from too much excitement and not enough sleep. James came up behind his "sex pixie", encircling her waist with his arms, dark-gray eyes alighting on Angel and Kat, who stood at the head of the group. His gaze was at the same time cool and intense, and no one ever knew which emotion was true or not. James was a grandson of Garnet by his mother, unlike his first cousins Matt and Alan, who were James' father's nephews by his brother.  
  
"Is this a reunion?" he wondered out loud, his soft voice like a gentle caress on the girls' faces.  
  
"That's what I want to know," Angel told him as everyone took seats. Julian and Angel remained standing, and no one doubted that they were running the show. "First off, let's figure out why we're all here. There are people from three different Circles in the room right now. What brought you all here?" Alex stood up, ready to speak for the Night Raiders.  
  
"We came here to escape Circle Midnight. Not only are they suicidal by going up against the four Wild Powers, but they ordered the eradication of Circle Starlight. Silver was our friend too." Dahlia stood to represent the four girls, her green eyes burning brightly.  
  
"I don't know about anyone else, but I couldn't fight against my own brother. And we also got pissed when Silver died." Silver Virgata had been a white tiger/lamia with a rebellious attitude and a loyal heart. She had also been the one whom Dahlia had taken her tiger form from, although the 'shifter princess was only a regular Bengal tiger. Julian nodded to show he was satisfied with their answers.  
  
"But how did the Daybreakers get here?" He waved his hand at the large crew seated across the table from the Midnighters. Amber had retrieved her Chronicler book and was feverishly writing all of this down. She would enter it into her laptop later. John cleared his throat and stood up.  
  
"I called Patrick and Julie to tell them we were coming here. She said she knew how to get back here." Of course Julie would know how to find this valley again. She had been second-in-command of a large band of Hunters two years ago. They had tried to wipe out CM, but were killed instead. Patrick had saved Julie's life because he loved her. Angel had killed her brother -the lead Hunter- in self-defense. She would've killed the revenge-minded human if Patrick hadn't tackled her first and then tied her to a tree while Angel had just stared at the strange site. Night Worlders did not fall in love with humans. Well, they weren't supposed to anyway.  
  
"And you told everyone else?" Angel wondered, her violet eyes wide and wondrous. Patrick squirmed a little, something he always did when Angel was around.  
  
"I only mentioned it to Luke and Mike. I guess they told everyone else," he reasoned.  
  
"I told some of the other vampires," Luke admitted.  
  
"And he told me to warn the witches," Melody added.  
  
"I had to alert the 'shifters," Mike protested as Bobbi nodded in agreement. Angel threw her hands into the air in exasperation.  
  
"Warn everyone about what?" she asked point-blank. No one moved or bothered to answer. She wasn't even sure they were breathing.  
  
"They're afraid of going against the Night World, their families, and their friends. And that's before the weird prophecies even start," a voice chimed in, breaking the heavy silence. All eyes turned towards the door to see a girl standing there, eyes like two points of blue fire.  
  
"Rain!" Amber shrieked, abandoning her book and racing to embrace her cousin. Derrick was an inch behind her. The three Johnsons held each other for a few minutes, Rain's velvet-black tresses in startling contrast to Amber's ice-blonde ones. Peter blushed when the dark-haired girl smiled at him. He had once liked her when he had still been human. Of course, that was before he had met Ruby.  
  
"What are you doing here?" Derrick asked when they broke apart.  
  
"I can answer that," Delvain said as he stood and walked to the trio. He knelt and raised Rain's hand to his lips. "Welcome back, my lady." She raised him to his feet and pressed her lips tightly to his mouth.  
  
"It's good to be back, my lord," she replied in a breathy whisper. Amber was stunned by her cousin's display of passion.  
  
'What's going on? You never mentioned anyone in your letters,' she whispered in the other girl's mind.  
  
'I wanted to surprise you.'  
  
'You did,' Derrick assured her, butting into the conversation.  
  
"Can you three do "Family Circle" later?" Blaise asked, her hand playing across Julian's arm. Angel was used to it, so she put her mind to more pressing matters.  
  
"What prophecies?" The Daybreak witches were looking at each other and shifting nervously in their seats.  
  
"Tell them," Rain insisted, her eyes shifting to the girls. Melody finally looked up.  
  
"Aradia had a vision."  
  
"She's always having visions," Matt shot back. Chandra and Dagan stood up, violet eyes shining in defiance.  
  
"But her vision coincides with a prophecy that Grandma Harman had written years ago," they replied in perfect harmony. Amy elbowed Matt to sit down and shut up. Tyrna gave him a chiding look. The twins were referring to the now-dead Crone of the witches. Aradia was the blind Maiden, always having visions of the future. Mother Cybele was now the leader of the witches, her Mother duties having shifted when the Crone died.  
  
"What prophecies?" Angel asked again, annoyance clear in her voice. Dagan brushed a strand of blue hair out of her eyes.  
  
"When Darkness rises and Light descends, then begins the fight. But there's Light in the Darkness, and there's Darkness in Light," she recited.  
  
"Twilight has fallen, the Night will not yield. Starlight shines on the bloody battlefield," Chandra added, smoothing her green bob.  
  
"The Goddess commands them; they hear her voice. Children of the Starlight: Destiny's choice," Melody finished softly.  
  
"What does that mean?" Marik wanted to know.  
  
"We have no clue," Nalaria told him, her black eyes glittering against her coffee skin.  
  
"No one can figure it out. Aradia only said she saw a final battle between CM and CD," Norei added, orange-red hair like a frame of fire around her bronze face.  
  
"Okay, so we've figured out why we're all here. What do we do for five days while we wait for the Millenium?" Lyca brought up. Just then- as if things weren't crazy enough -two more people burst into the room, faces flushed and out of breath.  
  
"You-guys-won't-believe-this. Circle-Midnight-is-here!" the girl panted, trying to catch her breath.  
  
"WHAT?" the entire room shouted. Nalaria conjured up two glasses of water and gave them to the two teens.  
  
"Circle Midnight has a caravan a few miles away. It looks like we're not the only ones who knew about this place," the boy explained when he finished the water. His hazel eyes flicked to Sage as a smile curled his lip and showed his dimples. He absent-mindedly ran a hand through his silky white hair, which had a bluish tint to it. "Hiya Sage."  
  
"Hello Jake," the other wolf greeted his friend. Jake Lupo had been a part of the group a few years ago, but had since rejoined CM. The copper-haired girl at his side was Lillian Hawke, another lost member. While Jake was a white wolf, she was a falcon.  
  
"Oh, this is great. Circle Midnight is coming and these two are playing "This is Your Life"!" she yelled. Lilli had no patience when danger was approaching. Something about survival would always kick in.  
  
"We can't stay here," Leah reasoned with Old-Soul logic. They always tended to state the obvious.  
  
"But where can we go?" Skye asked her. Julie stood up swiftly.  
  
"The Hunters' had a hideaway a few miles east of here. I can take you all there if someone can get the gear." Peter and Patrick vaguely remembered going there, and Melody also knew of its existence.  
  
"Julian?" Angel asked automatically, looking up into his strange blue eyes. He smiled and planted a delicate kiss on her cheek.  
  
"Your wish is my command." He vanished without another word. Angel turned to find everyone still sitting down.  
  
"What are doing? Everyone follow Julie and get the hell out of here!" Chairs were knocked over as everyone ran out of the room. Amber made sure she grabbed her Chronicler book, and then proceeded to follow the others. Once outside the 'shifters all changed so they would be able to run faster. The vampires grabbed the witches and pulled them along to keep the group together. Cars and vans were now descending into the valley, forcing them all to run faster.  
  
"Hurry!" Alex yelled at his gang while making sure Amy was at his side. Faith tripped over a root, but Derrick picked up the small witch and kept going. Dagan and Chandra sighed with relief when they saw their cousin was all right. Kalli and her sisters held hands as they ran, helping each other out. Lilli and Raven soared above the group, keeping their eyes on the landscape behind and in front. Lyca and Ruby led the wolves to the front of the group, their senses alert for unseen dangers. Dahlia, Jezabell, and Peter were the sweepers, nudging along any stragglers. Julie and Patrick were just in front of the wolves, leading the group to safety. Finally they reached a small cabin and squeezed through the door. As soon as the falcon and raven were inside, Julie pushed a section of a windowsill and the floor began sinking. When they were all on the bottom watching the elevator rise, a few people collapsed from exhaustion.  
  
"Break time!" James called out, slumping against the rock wall. Poppy sat beside him, resting her head against his chest. No one argued otherwise, so they all sat there for a while just relaxing and wondering what they were going to do next. 


	4. Patrols and strange dreams

Chapter 4  
  
Julian walked out of the shadows towards the tired crew, his moonlight hair glowing softly in the darkness. "Is everyone here, my angel?"  
  
"Well if they're not, I can't worry about it."  
  
"Everyone's here," Amber assured her. She had written down the number of people in her book, and had counted them when they stepped off the elevator. A few of the girls went off exploring while Julie took Patrick on a search for the circuit breaker.  
  
"Hey Daybreakers, can I ask you a question?" Blaise suddenly asked, shattering the quiet that some sleeping people had been enjoying. Kalli shrugged and gave her a little half-smile.  
  
"Sure." A heavy silence filled the air for a few minutes as Blaise figured out how to phrase her question.  
  
"Is Thea still hell-bent on fighting CM?" Thea Harman was Blaise's cousin, their mothers having been sisters. But when they had passed into the next world, the two little girls were raised as sisters, the most important bond to a witch. They had once been together in CD, but Blaise chose to go with CM, and had finally switched over to CS. Thea had remained in Daybreak with her soulmate Eric Ross.  
  
"You mean she didn't tell you?" Kalli asked, a little surprised.  
  
"Tell me what?"  
  
"Eric took Thea to Australia so they could study the wombat population, or something like that. They'll be down there for a few months. Truthfully, I just think Eric couldn't bear the possibility of losing his soulmate." Blaise was thankful that her "sister" was safe, but upset because she hadn't told her.  
  
"Well, at least she's safe. I'll just beat her up later for not telling me." The lights came on right then, waking up the last of the sleepers.  
  
"Morning already?" Daemon wondered, rubbing his eyes. Amber rolled over from her position on his chest and cat-stretched.  
  
"No, we probably only got a few minutes of sleep." She looked over at the Tylers and smiled at the scene. Marik and Austin were leaning back-to- back, eyes closed in peaceful slumber. Kat was snuggled against Austin's side, his arm around her waist. Jason was curled into a furry ball, his head on Marik's legs. The lamia had his hand on the wolf's back, petting him every now and then while the two slept.  
  
"Let's let them sleep," Dahlia advised, a tiny smile on her lips. Julie and Patrick returned, proud of themselves for turning on the electricity. Dahlia, Angel, Alex, and Acilacia pulled the ex-Hunter to the side so the various group leaders could discuss their options.  
  
"What accommodations can this cave offer?" Acilacia got right to the point, although her tone made it clear she would not be reduced to living in a cave, even one with electricity.  
  
"Well, it's not exactly a five-star hotel, but there are sleeping quarters. This is only the front section of our headquarters. The rest is heated and resembles the Circle Midnight facility," Julie politely replied. Respecting elders had taken on a new meaning for her since joining the Night World. Especially since most of her elders could wipe her out just by blinking if they chose to do so.  
  
"You have food and water here?" Alex asked, being practical for once. He was usually one to maim first, ask questions later.  
  
"There's an underground stream which feeds into a lake. There's also a kitchen and pantry, but I doubt any of the food is still good after a few years of no one being here."  
  
"Gee, good thing we came prepared," Angel mused as Alex just glared at her for a moment.  
  
"What about a security system?" Dahlia wanted to know. Julie crooked her finger at the four, so they followed her down a small hallway and through a stone archway. A huge computer system was set up and waiting for a command. TVs showed pictures of both the outside and inside of their new headquarters.  
  
"That's our security system, built by our best technicians. An alarm will sound if we need to clear out of here. Any other questions?" Acilacia raised her hand, pointing to the computer.  
  
"Yes. Do you know how to work this?.. Machine?" A blush crept into Julie's cheeks, giving them an answer.  
  
"I'll go get my little hackers," Angel told them, walking back down the hall to the others. "Amber, Marik, and Austin, get your asses into the computer room and figure out how to work it. Blaise, you and Kitten find all the witches and start decoding that prophecy. Sage, you're with them. Dahlia, see if you can organize the 'shifters into patrol units while I do the same with the vamps. Now move!" A flurry of activity began after the young princess' orders were given. The three computer experts went off to play with their new toy. Every witch, plus Sage, went on a hunt for their books and notes. Amy went with them, leaving the rest of the Night Raiders to report for spy duty. Meanwhile, Dahlia divided her people into patrolling units. Acilacia watched in fascination as Angel ordered all the vampires into teams, noting the way she didn't take "no" for an answer.  
  
'She could be my daughter, if only she were a few thousand years older,' the green-eyed woman laughingly thought. Acil's own mother had been the goddess Isis, while her father was a dragon shape-shifter. In Egypt, the young Luna -that was what her race was called, there being other half- goddesses. The half-gods were called Lunes- enjoyed the status of a living goddess. That was before Hunter Redfern had showed up with his sweet promises of guaranteed immortality. For the Lunas and Lunes were not truly immortal, only partially, so they would age and eventually die. She had given herself to him as his soulmate and wife. But as always, good things never last. Hunter divorced her and then had four daughters with Maeve Harman: Garnet, Lily, Dove, and Roseclear. Poor Dove had been killed in the sixteen hundred's trying to protect a human-turned-vampire boy that she loved, and Roseclear had been raised as a witch, to Hunter's dismay. Lily had died almost six months ago at the hands of a Wild Power, while Garnet had died of old age. She had simply chosen to move on into the next world. Acilacia came out of her daydreaming to see Angel in front of her.  
  
"Acilacia, I need your help with something," the blue-eyed teen said softly, like she didn't want anyone else to hear her.  
  
"What is it, my child? And please, call me Acil."  
  
"Can you take charge of the patrol teams outside while I handle the groups inside the compound?" Angel knew the older woman could sense she didn't like sharing authority. The Egyptian Luna smiled softly at the young Redfern, marveling at her.  
  
"Of course." She started to walk away towards the elevator, but stopped and turned around again. "Your grandmother would be very proud of you. And your father would burst with pride to see what kind of a leader he raised." Garnet and her elder son, Pierce, had kept in contact with Acil until their respective deaths. She did miss them, and felt compassion for Angel, who had grown up with no parents. Not that it had affected the sharp teenager, as she was a tough lamia and a good leader. Angel only nodded at her statement, betraying no more of her emotions. When she looked up again, Acil was gone and she was alone in the damp hallway.  
  
"We try and stay neutral and look what happens. We get into a fucking war with the Night World!" She kicked the rock wall in anger, causing some rocks to fall from the ceiling.  
  
"Um Angel, is this a bad time?" Amber softly asked, coming up from behind her friend.  
  
"What now?" Even though she hoped there was nothing seriously wrong, Angel knew the Chronicler would only come to her when there was a big problem. Amber pulled her into the computer room where Austin was feverishly typing commands into the system while Marik stood at another console, his eyes glued to the TV screens.  
  
"Marik, what's the situation?" Amber asked, tugging lightly on his shirt. The older boy turned around and adjusted the earpiece of the small transmitter he wore. The microphone was near his mouth so he could easily communicate with the groups out in the valley.  
  
"Circle Midnight isn't our only problem," he began, pointing to a few of the screens. Cars and vans were winding their way into the valley, and tents were popping up in the woods. "Circle Daybreak is here too. The party just got bigger." Angel paced up and down, which was unusual. She always had a laissez-faire attitude about everything. If Angel Amethyst Redfern was upset over the situation, things must be bad.  
  
"We're in," Austin called out, breaking Marik and Amber out of the trance which Angel's pacing had put them in.  
  
"In what?" Angel asked as she stopped walking back and forth.  
  
"I hacked into the CM computer. We have access to anything they do." He had a big grin on his face, quite pleased with himself.  
  
"Don't get a swell head," Angel warned as she left the room. She smiled at the young man to let him know he had done a good job. Marik grinned and turned back to watch the groups in the field.  
  
'Austin get a swell head? Perish the thought,' he said silently to Amber, who giggled softly.  
  
'I heard that,' Austin shot back. Laughing at her two friends, the Ice Princess took a seat next to Marik, donning her own transmitter.  
  
"This is Ground Base calling Eagle Eye. Please respond, Eagle Eye," she broadcast, wanting to know where Raven and Lilli were.  
  
"Eagle Eye calling Ground Base. Nothing but cars and tents in Sunshine Land," Lilli replied, her falcon-talk being translated into English by a wonderful device invented by Dr. Leo Brunswick, a 'shifter scientist. Boy, if humans ever knew, animals would be in trouble. They would be hounded by humans just to hear them speak.  
  
"Pride One calling Ground Base. Come in Ground Base," Peter's voice crackled to life.  
  
"Go ahead Pride One," Marik answered, trying to find them with the cameras. He finally saw the lion, tiger, mountain lion, bobcat, and two panthers. Teia, Jezabell, Bobbi, and Mike had joined up with Peter and Dahlia, realizing there was safety in numbers.  
  
"You would not believe how many bats are here in Dark Ground," Dahlia told them.  
  
"And a whole bunch of furballs," Teia added.  
  
"Don't forget all the wart-noses," Mike brought up with a chuckle.  
  
"Austin, run a roster check of CM members. Get everything you can," Amber ordered as he got right to work. She smiled at the thought of what the witches would say if they had heard Mike using the code name "wart- noses" to describe their kin.  
  
"Pride Two, this is Ground Base, please report," Marik called over the airways, wondering where they were.  
  
"This is Pride Two. We've scouted the hippie camp and are returning to Ground Base," Ruby replied. She and Lyca had taken Jason and Jake to do ground work on the Daybreakers.  
  
"Eagle Eye and Pride One, this is GB. Request you return home for the night," Amber said to the others.  
  
"Eagle Eye is coming," Raven stated, happy to be heading back.  
  
"This is Pride One. We're on our way," Bobbi added as she bounced around in front of one camera. The three vampires laughed at her, although they kept an eye on the other screens. Ten minutes later the three 'shifter groups were down in the cave. Acilacia led the other vamps into the elevator, all of them having guarded the cabin while the 'shifters were out and about. Luke and Alex went in search of Melody and Amy, wondering what they were up to.  
  
"We're in here, Alex!" Amy called out, seeing them pass in the hall. The room they were in had cots, beds, and mattresses all over the place. Closets took up one whole wall, and a far door led into a full bathroom.  
  
"You witches really made yourselves at home," Luke teased as he looked at the books and papers strewn all over the place.  
  
"Yeah, looks kinda like your room," Melody shot back.  
  
"What have you deciphered so far?" Angel asked from the doorway, pulling on her white peasant-blouse so it left her tan shoulders bare. She sat down next to Kat in lotus position, something she could do even in denim bellbottoms. Her graceful body never ceased to amaze her.  
  
"This is harder than it looks, Angel," Daemon informed her.  
  
"I don't want excuses, Daemon. I want results."  
  
"Well, we got one part figured out," Faith told her, thin voice cracking and muddy-brown eyes wide and a little fearful. Her black hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail.  
  
"You'll have to excuse Faith. She's a recently-found lost witch," Dagan explained, giving her cousin a small hug.  
  
"What part did you figure out?" Angel asked gently, more to calm Faith than anything else.  
  
"The part about "Twilight has fallen" might mean Circle Twilight," Skye replied, looking up from her notes.  
  
"But the Old-Souls disagree," Blaise added in disgust, clearly unhappy with Leah and Sage.  
  
"If CT was meant to be in the prophecy, it would've been mentioned in the beginning," Leah clarified.  
  
"Circle Twilight was dissolved a few months before the Crone was killed. She wouldn't have put a non-existent Circle into her prophecy," Sage added, backing up his friend.  
  
"So what do you two think it means?" Alex wanted to know. Leah shrugged and looked at her scribbled notes.  
  
"I think it means that this battle will take place at twilight."  
  
"You've been at this how many hours and you think that's what it means? I don't believe this!" Angel yelled, standing up and walking out of the room. Kat followed, not fully understanding the reason for her best friend's sudden outburst.  
  
"Ang', what's wrong?"  
  
"I don't know! Ever since Daylight and Darkness showed up, I've been a real bitch. And don't you dare throw that back at me." Kat was standing with her mouth open like she was in shock. "What's wrong?"  
  
"Daylight and Darkness. Angel, you're a genius!" she squealed, getting all hysterical.  
  
"Kat, what're you screaming about?" Amber wondered as she and the Tylers came running down the hall.  
  
"We thought you were in trouble," Austin explained, taking her hand.  
  
"Actually, Austin thought you were in trouble," Marik clarified, shooting a look at his brother. Austin ignored him, his senses tuning out the rest of the world because now he was with his kitty-witch. They had been dating for over a year, but only a few months ago she had allowed him to start using the nickname normally reserved for only Blaise and Angel. Mike and Bobbi came strolling down the hall just then, pausing long enough only to deliver a short message to the huddled group.  
  
"Dinner will be served shortly. See if you can find the dining room," Mike told them in passing, going in to tell the magick-users.  
  
"What's being served?" Austin came out of his little world only when food was mentioned. The Tyler boys were definitely ruled by their stomachs.  
  
"How should I know? Lyca, Ruby, and Tyrna chased almost everyone out of the kitchen," Bobbi whined, frustrated and bored from not doing something productive. Sage and Mike came out of the room, followed by the witches and the two vampires. The five teens in the hall fell into step behind them. After a few wrong turns they finally found the dining room. Everyone else was waiting for them. Acilacia was at one end of the table, Delvain on her left. Alex sat to the right of her, the Night Raiders next to him. At the other end sat Julian, Dahlia on his left. Angel was about to sit on his right when he stood up and offered her his chair.  
  
"For you, my princess," he whispered softly, his breath warm on her neck. The two locked eyes and smiled.  
  
"Thank you, Jules." She took a seat and looked at the table heaped with all sorts of food. Meat, salads, fruits, veggies, drinks, rolls, and a couple of iced cakes. "Dig in." The vampires and 'shifters gladly obliged her while Sage and Skye led the prayers for everyone else.  
  
"Great Goddess, accept our prayers of thanks for the food we are about to partake of," they all said solemnly before reaching for their dinner.  
  
"This is good," Alan praised, his mouth full of a sourdough roll. Faith looked up from across the table and smiled at him, her face brightening and making her look the fifteen years she was. He smiled back with all the innocence of a twelve year-old, even though he was seventeen.  
  
"Chew with your mouth closed," Tyrna chided. As the oldest girl in the gang she had assumed the role of everyone's mother, seeing as how most of them didn't have parents anymore. Alan swallowed and then stuck his tongue out at her.  
  
"Do that again and I'll wrap it around your head," Matt warned, his voice like a chill wind blowing through the room, causing a few people to shiver. If Tyrna was the group's mother, then Matthew was the father figure, even though Alex was the actual leader. But even he sometimes deferred to the two lamia. All three of them were eighteen, but Alex would forever be sixteen. The Night Raiders had existed for five years, and Alex had been in another gang, The Diablos, since he was thirteen. All of them were street-smart and incredibly tough fighters, even Amy, a three-year vamp.  
  
"Sorry," Alan apologized softly. While he and Matt didn't always see eye-to-eye, they often depended on each other for survival. Although only a year apart, Matt had raised his little brother since the deaths of their parents twelve years ago. Survival had been one reason why Angel had created the gang. Family was another.  
  
"Kat, could you kindly explain the reason you were so excited earlier?" Angel abruptly asked as all eyes turned to the small blonde. She swallowed a bite of peach and thought about how to word her answer.  
  
"You said something about Daylight and Darkness. I think it might fit the first part of the prophecy."  
  
"How?" Blaise wondered, wanting to enjoy her meal without worrying about the stupid prophecy.  
  
"The part about "When Darkness rises and Light descends" struck me as odd. And then Angel cleared it up when she used the nicknames for Midnight and Daybreak." Silence settled over the room while everyone processed the information.  
  
"Circle Midnight is down in their underground safehouse, and Circle Daybreak is camped on the valley ridge," Jason stated.  
  
"When the Millenium War begins, CM will come up to ground level and CD will head down to the valley floor," Daemon added.  
  
"We're sitting on a powder keg," Derrick realized, a shiver going up his spine. Everyone started talking at once, the noise steadily increasing to intolerable levels.  
  
"We have to get out of here!" Leah advised.  
  
"No, we must stay and fight," Alex argued.  
  
"We'll be killed!" Moonlight wailed forlornly.  
  
"Don't be stupid. We can beat them," Kalli chided her sister.  
  
"Hell no, we won't go!" Poppy proclaimed. The arguing continued for a few minutes more until no one could even hear themselves think.  
  
"ENOUGH!" Acilacia roared, her voice carrying over the din. As they all shut their mouths and sat down, Angel stared at the woman, blinking her eyes in astonishment.  
  
"Wow Acil, you're louder than me." She knew it sounded really lame, but it just sort of popped out. Blaise, Marik, and Austin snickered at her comment, but a glare from her gray eyes silenced them.  
  
"Now that you ladies have our full attention, what are we going to do about this situation?" Delvain asked seriously. He and a few others had remained silent while everyone else had argued. Angel closed her eyes and massaged her temples, trying to alleviate the ache in her skull. Too much was happening at once.  
  
"All the different groups will meet right after dinner. Discuss whether you want to stay or go."  
  
"Anyone who wants to leave should do so tonight, before the Night World learns we're here," Acil added. Dinner was finished in silence, after which they cleared the table and followed their respective leaders to different areas of the base. Circle Starlight met in the computer room so the security cameras could be monitored.  
  
"Why are we in here, Angel?" Peter asked. She turned to stare at him, her crimson mouth set in a tight line.  
  
"Just shut-up, Peter! All of you sit down and shut the fuck up!" Amber noticed she was shaking and looked unusually pale. A tightening in her own chest alerted her to a serious problem.  
  
"Angel, I think we need to feed."  
  
"That's not why I'm upset," came the clipped reply.  
  
"It's been almost twenty-four hours," Marik brought up.  
  
"Fine, but I won't feel any better," Angel warned. She turned to Julian and grabbed him firmly by the shoulders. He felt her warm breath and the quick wetness of her tongue on his neck as she searched for the right spot. Angel felt her canines extend to needle-like points as she struck. Julian's blood was life and darkness, sweet as candy and intoxicating like too much fine wine. It warmed her veins and sent energy coursing through her entire body. She could even touch his mind; exploring his dark points and red curves, feeling his thoughts and emotions like they were own. After a few minutes she let go with a last kiss, licking the blood off her lips.  
  
"How do you feel?" he wondered, running his lips along her neck and laying feather-light kisses on her warm throat, running his teeth and tongue over the pulsing vein.  
  
"Better." Amber pulled way from Daemon, her smile a little obscured by a line of blood trickling down her mouth.  
  
"I won't say it," she promised, a smile lighting up her eyes. Derrick fell heavily against Sage, the potency of 'shifter blood making him light- headed with too much power.  
  
"I'm giving up humans," he vowed, liking the feeling of ecstasy that had wrapped itself around his body. Marik and Jason lifted him to his feet, the wolf wincing as Derrick's limp arm hit the healing fang marks on his left wrist. Sage had a matching pair on his right wrist. Austin wasn't feeding on Kat anymore, but his mouth was still locked over her throat. He slowly traveled upward until his mouth met hers in a possessive kiss. Everyone watched as the couple remained in that position for a while.  
  
"Breathe guys," Ruby laughingly ordered.  
  
"Someone got get the "Jaws of Life" quick," Peter teased.  
  
'Very funny,' Kat shot back silently.  
  
'Cute. Real cute,' Austin added. Blaise stood right behind him, feeling the sexual energy build to a climax. She lived for moments like this. Kat abruptly broke off the kiss, leaning her head against Austin's chest and feeling his heart pound against her ear.  
  
"You okay?"  
  
"I'm great," he assured her, trying to slow down his breathing.  
  
"Perhaps we should discuss what we're doing," Sage pointed out. Marik frowned a little at the suggestion.  
  
"What's there to discuss?" Angel raised one eyebrow and looked at each of her group members.  
  
"Does Marik speak for everyone?" Julian wanted to know. They all looked at each other and nodded, intent on staying till the end.  
  
"We've come too far to go back now," Jason spoke up.  
  
"But will we respect anyone who wants to leave?" Daemon thoughtfully asked.  
  
"You won't have to worry about that, honey," Rain answered from the doorway. They followed her back into the dining room where everyone else was gathered again.  
  
"We're all staying," Lyca told them. Angel nodded, a shadow of a smile passing across her face.  
  
"So are we." Poppy clapped her hands while Crystal yawned, her eyelids threatening to close over her cork-brown eyes.  
  
"Maybe we should all get some sleep," Kalli suggested as she gave her baby sister a noogie. Moonlight giggled at her siblings, glad she wasn't the youngest anymore. Kalli was seventeen, she fifteen, and little Crystal had only recently become a teenager. If their parents had ever been disappointed with three girls and no sons, they had never shown it.  
  
"Good idea. I'm exhausted," Luke added.  
  
"What did you do today?" Melody sarcastically asked as everyone walked out and headed to the rooms. The four rooms were like those you would find in a hostel. Two rooms were joined by a bathroom on either side of the hall. Circle Starlight, the four CM girls, and the Night Raiders took over one room, each person claiming a bed, cot, or mattress for themselves. Julian was sandwiched on a bed between Angel and Blaise, enjoying the surroundings immensely. Alex and Amy snuggled into a cot, and Austin and Kat followed their example. Tyrna and Matt pushed two mattresses together and slept with their arms around each other. Derrick and Alan fell asleep on a double bed. Sage shifted and slept at the foot of Leah's cot, designating himself guard dog for the night. Amber lay her head on Daemon's chest, Marik and Jason on either side of her. The four of them fit very comfortably on three large mattresses. Lyca was asleep on a mattress in between Skye and Dahlia, who were both in cots. Peter and Ruby were in another double bed, cuddled up in their animal forms.  
  
"Sweet dreams," Dahlia called out as Skye flicked off the lights with minor concentration. Everyone fell asleep quickly, hoping for a restful night.  
  
* * *  
  
Blaise couldn't breathe. There wasn't any air left in the room. She opened her eyes but couldn't see anything. There was only a silent darkness which pressed in upon her, squeezing the remaining air out of her lungs. Trying not to scream, she thrust her arms upward, only to hit solid wood a few inches past her face. Now she started to panic, but tried hard to suppress the hopelessness that was welling up inside of her. 'Calm down, girl. Just relax and get yourself out of here,' she mentally ordered. With a sudden burst of strength she pushed on the wooden cover, hearing metal give way as the locks snapped. Now she could sit up, but it was still too dark to see. Reaching carefully over her head she felt a slab of concrete right above her. This time she kicked out, using her powerful legs to move the slab. But as she did so, dirt came crashing down on her, cutting off the last of her air. 'I've been buried alive,' she thought, frantically clawing her way to the surface. At last she saw moonlight and breathed in the crisp night air. With a final surge, she thrust the top half of her body out of the earth and cried joyously: "I'm free!"…  
  
Blaise sat up gasping for air and feeling the cold sweat running down her body. Julian was awake beside her.  
  
"What's wrong, my fire?" he asked worriedly, seeing her death-white face. Blaise only smiled and lightly kissed him, getting her cool back now.  
  
"Nothing Jules, just a bad dream. Go back to sleep." She sat there for a while longer listening to the others' breathing and occasionally snoring. "At least, I hope it was just a dream," she whispered in a sort of prayer before lying down again and going back to sleep. 


	5. 'Shifters are down! What's going on?!

Chapter 5  
  
Derrick opened his eyes halfway and tried to focus on his digital watch. "Nine a.m. and they're still asleep?" Angel had the annoying tendency to send everyone to bed late only to wake them up in the wee hours of the morning, especially if they were preparing for a fight.  
  
"What time is it?" Alan asked in disbelief as he rolled over and fell off the bed. A hard thump! accompanied his landing on the floor. "Ow."  
  
"Who's making all the noise?" Amy demanded, sitting up with Alex's arms still around her. The top of a dirty-blonde head peeked over the top of the bed. "Oh, it's only you." Sage raised his head up and stared at the lamia boy through amber eyes. Leah awoke and scratched him between the ears, giggling as his tongue lolled out of his mouth.  
  
"Come on Sage, we have breakfast duty," she told him. Peter opened his eyes and gently tapped Ruby with a large paw until she awoke.  
  
'Food preparers are going that way,' he pointed out with his tail. The couple silently padded out of the room.  
  
"Did someone mention food?" Austin whispered, eyes still closed.  
  
"Mm-hmm," Kat answered sleepily. A minute later she had the whole cot to herself as he leapt up and ran out of the room, nearly tripping Amber on her way to the bathroom. "Men," she whispered before going back to sleep, intent on catching at least another half-hour  
  
"I will be an only child before the week is out," Marik prophesied, giving Austin a rueful look when he got stepped on.  
  
"Love you, big bro'!" Amber snickered and grabbed her suitcase to take it into the bathroom with her. A minute later the shower was turned on. Jason raised his head and yawned, shifting while he stretched. The black wolf padded to the door and nosed it open, disappearing into the bathroom. Daemon was jerked awake a few minutes later by Amber's voice.  
  
"Cold nose!" she screamed. Alex and Amy fell off the cot and sprang to the door, not understanding what was going on. Daemon jerked open the door while Marik grabbed Jason's tail.  
  
"Get your furry ass out of there!" he yelled, catching a quick glimpse of Amber's back before she wrapped a towel around herself. The wolf slinked out of the room with his tail between his legs.  
  
"You okay, Amber?" Daemon asked when she came out fully dressed.  
  
"Yeah, he just startled me."  
  
'Sorry, I just couldn't resist,' Jason apologized, looking up from Blaise's lap, where he was being rubbed and patted.  
  
"Try harder next time," Derrick quipped cynically. He wasn't always happy with the three guys his sister constantly hung out with. Even though Amber was three years older, lamia families were run by men. With their parents killed by a Night World assassin, he had been "man of the house" for five years. All the guys who hung around his sister had some defect in his eyes. Jason was too quiet, Daemon wasn't strong like a vampire or 'shifter, and Marik always had trouble following him.  
  
'But that doesn't matter to her,' Angel's voice interrupted his thoughts. Derrick paled and looked at her.  
  
'Was I broadcasting?' he asked with a little hesitation. If Amber had heard his thoughts… Angel smiled and squeezed his shoulders. Her "little brother" could be such a ninny sometimes.  
  
"Only to those who were paying attention," she assured. Dahlia and Skye finished getting dressed and then followed Lyca out the door and down the hall. Alan fell on top of Tyrna and Matt, who proceeded to chase him out of the room. Amber watched as Jason and Marik followed them, wondering whose side they were on.  
  
"May I escort you to breakfast, my lady?" Daemon asked as he bowed to her. He could be such a gentleman at times.  
  
"Why thank you sir, I'd be delighted," she replied with a southern accent. The couple walked out arm-in-arm with Derrick right behind them. Alex pulled Kat off the cot and walked out of the room with a blonde on either side of him, a large grin plastered across his face.  
  
"Ever the womanizer," Angel commented with a laugh. She watched as he came back and gave her the one-fingered salute. Julian wrapped his arms around Angel's waist and whispered in her ear. "No Julian, I'm sure he'll be a good boy." A forked tongue flicked out of the Shadow Man's mouth towards the made-vampire. Alex got the hint and left quickly. Blaise came over and leaned into to Julian, wrapping her leg around Angel's at the same time. She had fire in her eyes, which matched the light in her companions' eyes, and she grinned devilishly.  
  
"Something we can do for you, my fire?" Julian wondered.  
  
"Yes. You can entertain me for a little while." Angel's tongue darted over her teeth as she drew the witch against her. Julian kissed both women deeply, and they dragged him back onto the bed. The menage` a trois would join the others later.  
  
* * *  
  
Acilacia was on night patrol. Delvain and Rain were with her also, scouting out the Midnight spies who were checking out Daybreak's main force. 'The spies are being spied on,' Rain whispered silently.  
  
"Come on, let's head back home," Acil said out loud as she started back to the base. They were almost there when the earth began to violently tremble, knocking over trees and uprooting bushes.  
  
"Earthquake!" Delvain yelled, throwing himself to the ground. The women were beside him in a second. He saw Teia come racing out of the cabin, a look of horror on her face. As the three vampires watched in fascination, the girl began to change. Two huge leathery wings erupted from her back, carrying her into the sky. A tail shot from the base of her spine while her neck lengthened and filled out. Her body bulked up as dagger-like claws replaced her hands and feet. Three black horns were in the center of her forehead as the blood-red dragon flew off. Dahlia was standing at the cabin door, attempting to stand amid the shaking earth.  
  
"Oh Goddess!" she cried out, slumping to the floor. The other 'shifters in the group came running from all directions, sensing something was wrong. A few were in animal form. But suddenly they all just collapsed. Rain was up and running towards them, screaming into her microphone all the while and trying to stand at the same time.  
  
"Someone had better get their ass up here on the double!"  
  
"What's up, Rain?" Tyrna wondered, trying to figure out why the cameras weren't working. No one could feel the earthquake way down below the surface.  
  
"There's an earthquake going on up here, and all the shape-shifters just passed out. And Acilacia doesn't look so good either."  
  
"I'm half 'shifter, that's why," she explained, holding her head in her hands. Acil had never felt this much pain before. Her whole body felt like it was being drained of all its energy.  
  
"We'll be right up," Matt promised, taking off his transmitter and pushing a red button on the control panel. Immediately a siren started going off, startling a few lounging people. "This is an emergency. Everyone get to the surface and get the 'shifters inside. Something weird is going on," he yelled into the base's microphone. Then he and Tyrna started for the elevator. Moonlight and Crystal stayed behind to watch the cameras that were still working. On the surface there was utter chaos. Huge cracks appeared in the ground as the earthquake continued.  
  
"Get them inside now!" Angel ordered, tugging on Dahlia's leather jacket to try and wake up the other princess. When that didn't work she picked up her friend and carried her inside. John, Kalli, James, Poppy, Patrick, and Julie set themselves up as guards in case anyone came nosing around. Skye had hold of Lyca's arms while Leah tried to drag Sage to the elevator. Amber and Daemon picked up Jason's limp form as Marik and Austin got Peter and Ruby. Faith scooped up Raven's tiny body, cradling the black bird gently to her chest. Derrick helped Dagan and Chandra carry Jezabell into the cabin. Tyrna and Amy picked up Lilli while Matt and Alex got Jake. Rain helped Skye with her burden and Delvain lightened Leah's load. Alan and Luke gently carried Mike, watching as his tail made a twisting track in the dirt. Melody picked up Bobbi, the little bobcat's head nestled on her shoulder.  
  
"Oh Eileithyia, Mistress of Beasts, please let them wake up," she prayed. Kat and Blaise watched while Nalaria and Norei helped Acil stand. A sudden violent thrust knocked everyone off their feet. The six guards came running back to the cabin, helping people stand as they went.  
  
"Move it!" Kat yelled at them as Julian ran outside and picked up her and Blaise. The three women were right behind him, followed by the guards. Kalli slammed the door behind them and started the elevator down. Halfway there the shaking stopped, but the 'shifters didn't wake up.  
  
"What the hell happened up there?" Blaise demanded as Julian set her and Kat down, referring to their unconscious friends. No one answered because no one knew. Even Leah was strangely silent as she kept her hand on Sage's shoulder, a look of worry etched into her face.  
  
"Hey, where's Teia?" Kalli asked, looking around for the quiet girl. She had not been with the others when they had dragged everyone inside.  
  
"She flew off somewhere," Delvain told her.  
  
"Flew?" James asked a bit skeptically.  
  
"She's a dragon," Rain clarified, coming to her sweetheart's defense. A heavy silence descended upon the room, seeming to turn all of them to stone. Amber found her Chronicler book and thumbed back a few pages. Yes, she had written down that Teia Drake was a dragon, and yet that crucial bit of information had somehow sneaked past all of them.  
  
"Teia can't be a dragon. They were all buried by the witches thousands of years ago," Poppy argued, proud that she had remembered her lessons from way back in Daybreak. Acilacia gave a wry grin, leaning heavily on the wall for support.  
  
"They missed one."  
  
"The dragon princess?" Alex asked hopefully. It was now common knowledge that over ten thousand years ago the witches had used a powerful spell to put the dragons to sleep, and had then buried them deep under the earth. The three year-old dragon princess had been spared and taught by Hecate and her daughter Hellewise, ancestors to the Harmans. The little dragon's line ended with Galen Drache and his sister, Dahlia. Acilacia shook her head slowly, feeling her strength gradually returning.  
  
"No, another dragon. My father, and probably Teia's as well."  
  
"Your father was a dragon?" Skye's voice caught in her throat. She had known that the vampire had been hiding something, but she hadn't expected it was something this big.  
  
"There's more." Acilacia's flat voice interrupted the girl's thoughts.  
  
"Tell us everything," Angel coaxed, intrigued by this turn of events. Acil sighed deeply and then began her tale…  
  
* * *  
  
"When the shape-shifters ruled the world, the dragons ruled them. They could take on any form they wanted, and their horns held powers the likes of which almost no one could stop. But chaos reigned and the witches took action against the powerful beasts. The dragon princess, Tiamat, went to a friend of hers to warn him that their race might be destroyed. Though only a couple of years older, Rastaban escaped before it was too late, though he never forgave himself for leaving Tiamat behind. He ended up in Egypt where he raised himself and developed his powers. One day he met a young woman walking along the bank of the Nile and was captivated by her sensuous body and sharp wit. They slept with each other, and it wasn't long before the woman was pregnant. Only then did she reveal the truth to Rastaban, and he to her. He was a dragon; the most ancient and powerful of the shape-shifters, and probably the last of his kind. She was Isis; Queen of the Egyptian gods and mother to the people of her land. He promised to raise the child and teach it the ways of his kind. On a cold winter morning, Isis gave birth to Acilacia Winterfell, so named because snow began to fall right after she was born. After the child was weaned her father began to teach her how to use her powers. Acilacia's mother promised her that whenever she was in trouble, she need only call out and Isis would be there. Years later, the Luna's training complete, she wanted to live on her own. Her race was called Luna or Lune for the simple reason that they were all half 'shifter or vampire and half god/goddess, and therefore ruled in part by the moon. But trouble came to find her in the shape of Hunter Redfern, sole leader of the vampires at that time. He discovered they were soulmates when the two had shaken hands, feeling the glorious energy and mind-meld that accompanied the first shock. Hunter said he never wanted to leave her, and she had believed him because he wasn't the monster he would become later. Instead he was calmer and not so power-hungry; a regular gentleman. Acilacia gave in to his heartfelt pleading and became a vampire and Hunter's wife, Acilacia Winterfell Redfern. They lived happily for a few centuries, but things began to sour after that. Hunter wanted heirs, but didn't think his made-vampire wife would be able to have children. So he divorced her and did a blood-tie ceremony with Maeve Harman in the hopes that she would give him children. So Acil, just to spite Hunter, had a child with a Lune. My daughter's name is Sasha."  
  
* * *  
  
Acil finished her story and looked around at the group. A few of the vamps had carried away the 'shifters to the bedrooms while she talked, but had quickly hurried back to hear the rest. Angel was sorting through all of the information while Amber's pen flew over the paper, recording the entire story. "Where's your daughter now?" she wondered out loud, pausing in her writing. She hoped that the girl was still alive somewhere, for Acilacia's sake as a mother and fellow vampire.  
  
"She's in Russia with her husband, John, and her father," Acilacia replied with a shrug. "She loves Moscow in the winter. It's where she was born and lived as an older child."  
  
"What a story," Amy commented, her blue eyes wide with wonder.  
  
"Yes, it certainly was. But now we have to worry about our sleeping friends," Angel reminded them. Nalaria, as the oldest witch, organized her companions into teams and sent them into different rooms to tend to the others. Angel, Alex, and Acilacia broke off from the vamps to quietly discuss the situation. Poppy and James went off to get some much-needed sleep, but they all doubted that's what the two soulmates would be doing. Amber headed for the computer room, finding Crystal and Moonlight half- asleep at the console.  
  
"Go to sleep, girls," she told them gently as they rubbed their eyes and scooted off to bed. She sat down and rested her head on her arms, worried about her friends. She had to admit that even though most of the others were her good friends, Jason was the one she was most worried about. Someone came into the room and sat beside her, but Amber didn't even look up.  
  
"Are you okay?" Rain asked softly, putting an arm around her cousin.  
  
"What's going on, Rain? What could possibly have done that to them?" The blonde's voice was soft and mournful.  
  
"I don't think I want to know."  
  
"Well I do. Because if it's powerful enough to do that to 'shifters, then what can it do to the rest of us?" The two girls sat in silence for a moment, considering those last words. Marik stood in the doorway and cleared his throat to get their attention. Two ice-blue eyes and two midnight-blue ones stared back at him, looking through him it seemed. He shivered a little but quickly regained his composure. The Johnsons could be so strange at times, and this was one of those times.  
  
"Hey Rain, can I talk to Amber… Alone?" He felt silly asking the permission of a younger lamia, even one a year younger, but he didn't want to start a family fight.  
  
"Sure Marik." With a wink and a pat for the blonde's benefit, the other Johnson left the room, a broad smile on her face. Marik sat beside Amber, waiting for her to smile at him like she always did. Just a little grin would let him know she wasn't beating herself up over what had just happened on the surface.  
  
"He'll be fine," he assured, referring of course to Jason. While strangely quiet, the wolf was extremely loyal and a tough fighter. He'd pull through anything just to prove he could.  
  
"Marik, do you believe in the hereafter?" Amber's question came out of nowhere, and her tone scared the young man. She sounded so serious, and a little fearful too. That was not a good thing.  
  
"We don't have afterlives," he reminded her gently. Everyone knew that being a vampire trapped your soul and didn't allow it to move on when your body died. While the Catholic Church had really been guessing, the Night World knew the truth. No one had ever been found to have previously been a vampire, lamia or made. Which a put a damper on their being "immortal", as everyone else kept going through reincarnation, although most vamps did not think about death until it was absolutely necessary. Usually that was when they had been staked or were being burned alive. Amber locked eyes with Marik, her arms going around his neck to hold him close to her. She was shaking a little.  
  
"I'm scared," she revealed as he put his arms around her waist and held her tight. It was all he could do in this situation. Daemon passed by the room, and Marik motioned him in with a nod of his head.  
  
'What's wrong with Amber?' the witch asked, making sure to keep his link with Amber closed, lest she hear their conversation.  
  
'She doesn't want to die.'  
  
'Oh for Athena's sake! She isn't going to die, just like we're not going to die.' Marik was going to ask him how he knew that, but decided on a better question. One that had been bugging him for awhile.  
  
'Can I ask you a question? Do you witches have any male gods, or do women truly rule?' Daemon blushed at the question as he put his hand on Amber's back, adding his own comfort and support. Being the only male witch among a lot of girls had its ups and downs.  
  
'Women are very important, but there are some men around.'  
  
'For entertainment purposes only,' Blaise's voice cut in. The two boys turned startled eyes to the door where the "slayer of hearts" stood smiling devilishly, a look that was usually always on her face.  
  
"Not these boys," Amber shot back, her voice muffled by Marik's shirt. A small smile was on her face.  
  
"Why not? You don't use them." Now the men looked back and forth between the girls, silently wondering how much of their conversation Amber had heard. No one could ever tell what she heard and how much she wanted to understand. They were also wondering why -when all this talk about them was going on- they never felt included in the conversation. Blaise only smiled and left the trio alone. The Ice Princess looked up and grinned contentedly, seemingly back to her old self.  
  
"I'm going to visit Jason," she told them. They watched as she walked down the hall, back straight and head held up.  
  
"Think she'll be okay?" Marik wondered, sitting down again in front of the computer. There was something in the back of his mind, a vital piece of info that just wouldn't come out. Something about an earlier prophecy…  
  
"I think so," Daemon replied after a moment of reflective thought. He sat down too and brought up the CM database. Austin's member-check revealed a few hundred people now at the base, plus the location of thousands more around the world. Along with these numbers, there were also however many CD had brought that they had to contend with. Daemon started typing in snatches of the prophecy, hoping for inspiration. Suddenly an idea popped into his mind, and a plausible one at that. "Marik, start cross-referencing the new prophecy with earlier ones. I'll cross it with Night World history." The two teens got right to work.  
  
* * *  
  
Amber silently opened the door and stepped inside. Dahlia and Lyca were on cots, Skye meditating peacefully in between them. Sage was also on a cot, Leah sitting close beside him. Ruby and Peter were sleeping on a bed. Jason was on a mattress, pale and unmoving. Amber kneeled down beside him and stroked his back like a mother calming a sick child. A lock of hair fell in front of his eyes, and she gently brushed the coal-black silk away from his face. "How're the others?" she asked the two quiet girls.  
  
"There's been no change," Skye replied, keeping her eyes closed.  
  
"Luke and Melody are with Bobbi and Mike, Faith is watching Raven, Jezabell has Dagan and Chandra looking after her, Kat is near Lilli, and Matt and Tyrna keep watch over Jake with Alan's help. Still no sign of Teia," Leah added. Amber looked at her watch, realizing it was early morning already. It felt like noon of the next day.  
  
"Maybe we should start guard-shifts," she suggested, lying down next to Jason. A few minutes later she was asleep, her arm securely around his waist. Skye opened her eyes and smiled slightly.  
  
"She needed to sleep. But maybe a few of us could go on guard duty." Austin poked his head into the room, having just come from across the hall. He braced himself in the doorway, sleep making his eyelids like two lead covers over his shining eyes.  
  
"Daemon and my brother are at the computer doing stuff. They'll keep an eye on things." Derrick poked him from behind and staggered into the room, almost falling a few times.  
  
"The bed is calling me," he yawned, falling onto the bed and sleeping where he fell. Leah handed Skye a blanket and then snuggled up against Sage, her arm protectively around his waist.  
  
"Goodnight everyone," she whispered. Skye only nodded and pulled up the blanket, her body crying out for sleep. Austin walked back out into the hall and came back a few minutes later, Katarina asleep in his arms. He gently placed her in their cot and then drew up the sheet around them, chuckling as her feather-light hair tickled his face. Alan dragged himself into the room and over to the bed he shared with Derrick. He managed to pull the covers up halfway before sleep overtook him. Ever so slowly the rest of the group began trickling in as fatigue took its toll on them. Across the hall it was the same story as everyone bedded down for the night. Marik and Daemon left the computer to do its work, realizing it was seven in the morning and they needed sleep.  
  
"Everyone else is asleep," Daemon whispered as they silently opened the door to their room and slipped inside.  
  
"Lucky them," the lamia mumbled as he curled up next to Jason and Amber while Daemon lay down on their other side. After a while there was no movement anywhere in the base except the whirring of the computer as it worked on the cross-referencing. Suddenly it beeped, and a red message began flashing at the bottom of the main screen:  
  
Match Found. Match Found. Match Found…  
  
* * *  
  
Sage groaned and opened his eyes, his head feeling like an overused bowling ball. "Where am I?" All he could remember was a feeling of icy fear and then an energy drain that had knocked him unconscious. He then realized that Leah was asleep beside him in the cot. "Leah. Psst Leah, wake up." Blue-gray eyes snapped open to stare at him. Leah reached up and tenderly stroked his cheek with one hand.  
  
"You're okay," she whispered as a tear rolled down her cheek. He wiped it away and hugged her to him, both of them crying. Amber opened her eyes and sat up, always a light sleeper.  
  
"Sage!" she yelled, waking up a few of the others. Jason's eyes opened slowly, focusing on Marik and Daemon, who were staring back at him in awe and happiness.  
  
"Jason?" Daemon hesitantly asked, hoping this wasn't a dream. Amber spun around and hugged the green-eyed teen, her face shining with sheer joy. The other two boys joined in the hugging.  
  
"Ooh, major hangover," Dahlia complained as she sat up with her head in her hands. Lyca and Skye were by her side, the wolf-girl a little paler than normal, but otherwise okay.  
  
"It's good to hear your voices again, girls," Skye told them as Angel and Julian left Blaise alone in bed to talk with the three girls.  
  
"What's with all the noise?" Matt demanded loudly.  
  
"The 'shifters are awake," Austin told him, burying his head underneath the pillow. Tyrna and Kat were up and out the door in the next minute, eager to check on the others.  
  
"That's twice," Alan commented as he picked himself up off the floor. The girls' hurried flight had startled him awake, causing him to fall out of bed again. Derrick started laughing until a pillow came flying at his head. He quickly counter-attacked with his own pillow. Unfortunately, it hit Marik instead, and the younger boy laughed.  
  
"All right, now you're gonna get it," Marik warned. Soon pillows were flying every which way. In the midst of all this, Peter and Ruby awoke.  
  
"Mosh pit!" the lion yelled, diving on his laughing girlfriend. Blaise opened her eyes and searched for Julian amid the white missiles of fluff, not wishing to waste a perfectly good time to use her wiles on him. When Tyrna and Kat came back with a few of the others, they were all assaulted and forced to defend themselves.  
  
"Pillow fight!" Bobbi cried happily, bouncing into the middle of the fray with Mike close at her heels.  
  
"Defend yourself, knave," Tyrna shrieked at Matt, diving at him with a pillow and clobbering him.  
  
"Girls rule!" Kat shrieked, hitting Austin and Alan at the same time. The shouting brought everyone else into the room, and pretty soon the whole group was involved. The fight continued for a little while longer until someone seriously yelled out:  
  
"Could you all stop for a minute, please?" Everyone dropped both pillows and people to stare wide-eyed at Teia, who stood framed in the doorway, staring at all of them.  
  
"Teia, you're back! Where were you?" Kalli wondered, asking the question everyone else was thinking.  
  
"Learning a few things. By the way Acilacia, dad says hi." The Luna smiled at her little half-sister.  
  
"I thought that was the case. So tell us little dragon, what did you learn?" Everyone else wanted to hear her answer.  
  
"Well for one thing, people from the Night World are coming back to life." Silence enveloped the room for a full minute.  
  
"How do you know that?" Blaise wanted to know. It wasn't that she didn't trust Teia, but not liking dragons was drilled into every witch since birth. A girl behind Teia came forward into the light, navy-blue eyes fixed on the group. Her shoulder-length hair was a shiny copper color, but had darker stripes running vertically through it. She wore a white dress that had grass and dirt stains all over it.  
  
"I told her," she replied softly, answering Blaise's question. The room remained frozen, most of the people too shocked at what they were seeing. Angel felt hot tears welling up in her eyes.  
  
"Silver. Oh Goddess, you're alive." The once-dead tiger 'shifter just smiled brightly at her leader.  
  
"I'm ba-ack," she sing-songed while a few more people began to cry at the happy reunion. 


	6. Some answers, and then the world goes BO...

Chapter 6  
  
"How are you alive?" Dahlia asked, her voice choked with tears. Silver only shrugged and sat down on a bed while everyone gathered around her like it was story-time in pre-school. Amber pulled out her book and prepared to write everything down.  
  
"I remember feeling myself burn, and then suddenly this old woman was talking to me on a little hill, and after that I had to dig myself out of my grave. I began to walk, but had no idea where I was going. Teia found me wandering around trying to find you guys and gave me a lift here." Blaise had a strange feeling in the back of her mind that her dream was linked with Silver digging herself out of her grave. She shivered and resolved to talk to the other witches about it later.  
  
"And that's not even the weirdest part," Teia added.  
  
"Okay, so why don't you tell us what is," Angel pressed. The dragon sighed and began to recount the past day's events.  
  
"I heard my father calling my name, saying there was a very big emergency and he needed me. I flew off to find him, even though I had no idea where I was going. He was waiting for me in the Andes, and told me to look at the valley below the mountains. Another earthquake shook the land just then and it split open. Right in front of my eyes a hundred or so dragons came surging out of the earth, rising like a black cloud into the sky. My father, Rastaban, said they had somehow taken the energy of all the 'shifters in order to wake up. That also caused any dead 'shifters to come back to life. Once awake it was a simple matter of digging themselves out of the earth. They're on their way here as I speak." Mouths hung open and eyes stared unblinking at the black-haired girl, the shock very apparent on everyone's faces. This was definitely a new experience for all of them.  
  
"The dragons are free?" Chandra asked, trying to visualize what Teia was saying. If the dragons were now free then they would seek out the descendants of those who had imprisoned them in the bowels of the earth thousands of years ago. Which meant every witch not in CM was in serious trouble. Actually, they were all dead.  
  
"Yes, they're free," Teia replied almost sadly. Just because her family was free again didn't mean she was happy. In fact, she was upset because they would descend upon the valley and try to kill her and her friends. Amber stopped writing and looked up at everyone.  
  
"Not to state the obvious or anything, but unless we think of something quick, we are in serious trouble." While she went to think of a plan based on the info in her book, Marik and Daemon went back to the computer room to see what it had found.  
  
"Hey Marik, look at this. That new prophecy matches an entry from the Shape- shifter Scrolls." The Scrolls he was referring to had been started back in cave days, when only 'shifters, witches, and humans were really abundant. The Scrolls told the whole history of the 'shifters, some of it not always pleasant to hear.  
  
"Translated into English I hope." 'Shifters had their own ancient language, but while all their children learned it, only a few were fluent in it. Daemon pressed a few keys and pulled up the translation. He scanned the screen for a few minutes, searching for a possible link.  
  
"Hey, listen to this passage: "And the great beasts descended upon the land like a cloud of darkness while their fiery breath -in the form of energy beams- lit up the sky like multi-colored lightning. Hecate and her people stood against them, intent on ending their reign of terror over the humans." Cool." Marik raised an eyebrow and stared at the screen.  
  
"But everyone already knows that," he pointed out, meaning it was required that all children learn the history of the Night World. Daemon waved him off and continued reading.  
  
"Just listen. "Hecate and her people called upon their power, turning the black night back into twilight. After a lengthy battle, the witches summoned the blue fire and banished the dragons to sleep in the depths of the earth. Their power exhausted and the battle over, the band could now rest." Hmmm, that's interesting." Marik also perked up at this bit of info.  
  
"Blue fire? I thought only the Wild Powers had that?"  
  
"Guess not. But this fire was from a whole tribe, not a single person. It would probably take Hecate or even Hellewise Hearth-Woman to call up that much power again."  
  
"What about the Harmans? Maybe Blaise or one of her cousins could do it. Especially with their increasing powers."  
  
"I doubt it, Marik. Hecate and her clan had power that is almost impossible for anyone but the Inner Circle to duplicate. And I don't even think they could do something like that."  
  
"Nothing is impossible, Daemon," Amber said from the doorway. Her Chronicler Book was clasped tightly to her chest, its black-leather cover worn from years of use.  
  
"Did you find anything?" the witch asked as she sat in his lap.  
  
"I'm not sure. Actually, I really don't know what I'm looking for. What I do know is CM and CD are going to battle each other tonight when the dragons get here, which will probably be around midnight. Now we can either stay down here in hopes that nothing happens while they're annihilating each other, or we can be suicidal and go up there to join in the fun." Well, that was putting it in blunt English.  
  
"Oh yeah, that's just what I want to do. Go out and face a bunch of dragons hell-bent on ripping me apart for something my ancestors did thousands of years ago," Kat commented as she passed by the door. The trio followed her back to the rest of the group.  
  
"We can't just sit here and do nothing," James was telling everyone.  
  
"But what can we do, Jamie?" Poppy asked him seriously. All eyes went to their watches, seeing it was almost nine o'clock at night.  
  
"I swear, sometimes less sleep would be better," Alan quipped, realizing they had wasted a lot of precious time asleep.  
  
"Dinner's ready," Amy announced as she came into the room, wiping her hands on her jeans. With somber faces they all trooped into the dining hall and ate in silence. Everyone was worried about the current situation. While most of the human world would be watching the ball drop in Times Square, the Night People would be killing each other for control of the world. If Circle Daybreak won then the humans would be safe to live out their naive little lives. But if Circle Midnight was triumphant, humans would merely be slaves and a source of food. And any Night People who opposed CM or its methods would be executed as traitors. After dinner the compound was under a lock-down; no one was allowed in or out. Teams were watching the security cameras plus both the main entrance and emergency exit. Time crawled by extremely slowly as everyone kept glancing at their watches every five minutes or so.  
  
"The waiting is what kills ya," Kalli stated, stretching in her chair. Melody, Luke, Delvain, and Rain were with her in the computer room.  
  
"Patience is a virtue," Delvain gently reminded her.  
  
"Maybe for four hundred year-old vampires it is," Melody playfully shot back. Luke sighed and looked over at one TV screen where "Dick Clark's Rockin' New Year's Eve" was on.  
  
"We should live so long," he sighed. Meanwhile, Julie, Patrick, and John were sitting by the emergency exit, which was a small tunnel on the side of an underground lake in the back of the cavern.  
  
"This is so boring," Julie complained. The two boys agreed with her.  
  
"I feel like we need to do something. Sitting here is useless," Patrick added. John looked at his watch and saw that the hands were moving ever closer to midnight.  
  
"Time's slipping away," he whispered, not sure if that was good or bad. At ten minutes to twelve they all abandoned their posts and squeezed into one of the rooms where Bobbi and Mike had set up a small TV.  
  
"And here we are, just ten minutes away from ringing in the new Millenium. You can feel the excitement of the crowds packed in the streets," some commentator was saying. Now the minutes flew by until only ten seconds were left and the ball began to drop. The entire group had their eyes glued to the television, their pulses quickening as they recited along with the crowd in New York City. No one knew what to expect when midnight came, but they knew it wouldn't be good. Whether a war or Armageddon, it was going to end badly either way for some people.  
  
"Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one, happy Millen-" BOOM! The thunderous sound made everyone jump, and a few people screamed in terror. It was deafening, and small rocks began showering down in the hall from the naked-rock ceilings. Static lines appeared on the TV, and everyone forgot to breathe for a full minute. WHAM! Another barrage of rocks followed this sound. Suddenly the sirens began wailing their warning, urging them all to get out while they still could.  
  
"Move!" Angel screamed at them. They wasted no time as they raced towards the emergency exit, leaving all their stuff behind. When they had reached the surface they beheld a scene which gripped even Julian's heart with icy fear. Circle Daybreak was descending into the valley with torches, lighting up the cold night. Every last member was dressed all in white. Circle Midnight stood assembled on the valley floor. All them were in black clothing, and a hundred dragons were rising into the sky like a deadly cloud of darkness intent on destroying the world.  
  
"When Darkness rises and Light descends, then begins the fight," Kat quoted. The first part of the prophecy had been fulfilled.  
  
"So now what are supposed to do?" Ruby demanded, her body automatically shifting into a fighting stance.  
  
"We stay here and wait until someone sees us and directly attacks," Acilacia answered. Just then an energy beam ripped into the ground right in front of her, spraying everyone with clods of scorched dirt and grass. A dragon and a bunch of Midnighters were steadily advancing on them, the dragon having fired the first shot.  
  
"I think that qualifies as a direct attack," Silver quipped as the group surged forward to meet their attackers. The Millenium War had begun. 


	7. It's fightin's time!!!

Chapter 7  
  
Teia changed quickly, throwing her red body into the larger black dragon. She would keep him busy while the others took care of the ground troops.  
  
'Treacherous whelp!' the dragon yelled at her. He tried to dart in and bite her shoulder, but she grabbed his jaws and roughly pushed him away.  
  
'Temper, temper,' she teased. Dahlia and Silver advanced on a couple of lionesses while Peter faced off against their pride leader. Bobbi and Mike challenged a teen-male lion while Jezabell and Raven took on another lioness. With the coming of the Millenium all the Night People had developed new and better powers. 'Shifters could now shift into either animal inherited from their parents instead of just their father's. Raven's mother had been a wolf. Sage and the four other wolves banded together to take on another rag-tag pack. Lilli kept dive-bombing people, making even the vampires duck-and-cover. The Harman girls had broken the witches into two teams, one to attack and one to shield anyone in trouble. Blaise was dancing around an older vampire, using the power of numerous gemstones to slow and confuse him. An Isis bloodstone hung by a delicate gold chain around her neck, heating any man's blood she told it to. Heat equaled passion, and that was a dangerous weapon when wielded by Aphrodite incarnate. The witches' powers had simply increased with the coming of the Millenium, which made some of the more experienced ones deadly.  
  
"Hey there, tall, dark, and fangy," she crooned at him, thoroughly enjoying this fight. The three Johnsons ended up in a back-to-back-to-back triangle, facing off against a trio of vampires who all looked like teens, although one of them wasn't.  
  
'We can take 'em,' Derrick bragged to the two girls.  
  
'Whatever you say, sweetie,' Rain replied, chuckling a little at his bravado. Without warning they attacked the three boys, Derrick going low while his sister and cousin hit high. Pulling a silver dagger from her black-suede, knee-high boot, Rain stabbed the made-vampire through the heart and pinned him to the ground. If he had been a vampire a few months longer, he would've learned how not to underestimate even girls.  
  
"Bitch!" he spat in her face, writhing in pain all the while. She took a wooden clip out of her hair, allowing the black tresses to tumble down her face, obscuring her midnight-blue eyes. The point of the clip was like a stake, and she jammed it into his heart.  
  
"Thanks for the compliment," she whispered into his ear as the light gradually died in his eyes. Derrick was being pinned by an older lamia much stronger than him, but he grabbed his diamond-sided dagger out of his belt and used the sharp edge to shear the guy's head off. He licked the blood off his hands and watched Amber and her guy circling each other, wondering who would attack first. He was not a new corpse, and was extremely edgy around the experienced lamia.  
  
"Come on blondie, bring it on!" he taunted. Among other powers the vampires had acquired, they could all judge each other's age. With only a moment's concentration, Amber knew her opponent was twenty-five, and therefore would be harder to take down.  
  
"No problem." A snap kick to his jaw knocked him on the ground, but he threw a bolt of pure psychic energy at her, which grazed her shoulder as she ducked to avoid it.  
  
"Ice him!" Derrick encouraged her.  
  
'No, I'm saving that trick,' she said in his mind. He frowned and left with a pout to go find more action.  
  
"Phooey." When next he looked she had broken his head like an overripe melon, her face and hands covered in dark blood. While Rain went to go find her lover, Amber skipped over to Daemon, who was flinging small fireballs at another male witch. He kept blocking them with rock shields, which angered the younger man.  
  
"Oh, for Apollo's sake!" Daemon yelled in frustration. Blaise heard him and decided to help out- just this once. Dancing over with her hips swaying all the while, she planted herself in front of the Midnight guy and thrust her hips in his direction. That got his attention.  
  
"Hey smoke-eyes, would you moving so I can kill that Daybreaker?"  
  
"Smoke-eyes? Well that's something I've never been called." She fiddled with the zipper on her black midriff, which was probably why he thought she wasn't a threat. Silly men, always making wrong assumptions about women. All at once she yanked the zipper down, exposing a mat of jewels covering her full breasts. The hundreds of colors and scents swirled together into a pungent rainbow of hypnotic power.  
  
"You're… You're beautiful," he sighed, dropping all his defenses.  
  
"Bow before me," she ordered. He obeyed without a moment's hesitation, going to his knees in front of her. Daemon and Amber stood silently on the side, watching the femme fatale work her magick. Blaise raised a slender hand and crooked her finger at Daemon, who grinned.  
  
"My turn now." A ball of orange energy appeared in his hands, and he lobbed it like a baseball. "Here's the pitch!" Blaise flipped gracefully over the other witch's head and landed softly on the ground, leaving him open for the energy ball to shock him with enough electricity to kill him. Zipping up her shirt again, "smoke-eyes" left to go find another toy.  
  
"Strike three, you're dead!" Amber cheered, clapping her hands together excitedly. Her joy was cut short when Alan landed heavily on her.  
  
"You dumb snake! Sorry Amber," he apologized, getting up and leaping at the anaconda who had thrown him. Tyrna and Matt jumped in to help, each of them grabbing a section of the thirty-foot reptile. Angel and Acilacia were double-teaming against a vampire and a bear.  
  
"I just hate animals," Angel goaded the 'shifter. Acil smiled while keeping her eyes on the two in front of them.  
  
"I couldn't agree more." The Midnight-vampire hissed at the two women, a pure cat-like sound.  
  
"Your tricks won't work, Daybreakers!" she yelled at them. Angel only sighed, tired of always hearing her group being called Daybreakers. Acilacia threw a bolt of power at the loudmouth lamia, snapping her neck like a small twig.  
  
"Youth have no respect anymore," she complained as the two women leapt at the enraged brown bear. 'The only problem with these new powers is you have to recharge for a little while,' she thought grimly. That might be bad if you needed to hit someone a few times before they either collapsed or died. Amy and Alex had backed up against a tree, surrounded by a pack of wolves who had come from CD. Jason saw they were in trouble and howled to the others, who left the carcasses of the first wolves in order to help out.  
  
"Alex, we can't fight all of them at once," Amy reasoned, throwing out a burst of power at one of the braver wolves. Another one was bunching his muscles to jump, but Alex zapped him.  
  
"I'm out for at least fifteen minutes," he told her. Just then another wolf jumped at them, aiming right for Amy's throat. She screamed in response, bringing up her arms to protect her face and neck while Alex stepped in front of her to take on the 'shifter. But another wolf lunged at the first, knocking him away from the vampires. Alex recognized him as a CM wolf, which was very surprising.  
  
"There's Light in the Darkness, and there's Darkness in Light," Amy quoted from the prophecy, realizing that not all good was good, and not all evil was evil. At that point their friends arrived and immediately attacked, catching the rest of the pack off-guard. With most of the pack occupied the couple tackled two others, and John took care of the third one. Patrick and Julie were dealing with a very irate tiger while Derrick, Austin, Delvain, and Rain were fighting another quartet of vamps. Amber and Kalli joined Marik as he took on a bunch of hyenas. Kalli's sisters were teamed up against a cheetah. Luke joined in the snake-fight as another anaconda slithered up. Lilli was now locked in air-to-air combat with a red-tailed hawk.  
  
"Curiouser and curiouser," Melody quoted as she watched the fights unfold, defending who she could. The battle raged on for another hour or so, more people dying every minute. Jason had shifted back into a human and was cautiously looking around for trouble when a vampire jumped on top of him, riding the wolf to the ground. The 'shifter kicked and hit at him frantically, but the corpse he was fighting was three hundred years old, and adept at killing anything that moved. Marik spotted the brawl and whistled to Amber, who stopped feeding on a hyena and raced over to help. By the time she got there Jason already had a wound on his neck from where the vamp had tried to feed off him.  
  
"Get off of me!" he yelled, feeling Amber come up behind him. She tackled his attacker and rolled the guy onto his back, staring at him with eyes gone cold like glacial ice.  
  
"You don't scare me, little girl," he told her. Amber only laughed, a  
  
chilling sound which matched her eyes.  
  
"You should fear me," she warned. Reaching into his body with her mind she grabbed his heart and felt it freeze with her new power. The guy gasped for air, knowing she was killing him. After a few minutes Amber stared down into his dark-brown eyes. "I am the Ice Princess." With that last sentence she shattered his heart just as easily as she would a mirror. With a smile of satisfaction she got off him and hugged Jason, glad he was all right.  
  
"Thanks," he whispered into her ear. Suddenly, the dragon Teia had been fighting threw her to the ground and roared for the others. While she shifted painfully back to human form, the eighty others that were left rose into the air and hovered above the blood-soaked earth. Those people on the ground who weren't dead or dying kept their eyes riveted on the great beasts. From deep within the confines of the CD group came four teens, their white clothes now muddy, torn, and bloodstained. One girl had red hair which tumbled down her back in a wave of scarlet. Her eyes were a strange combination of blue and silver, beautiful and inhuman. A boy with dark, wavy hair stood next to her, defiance clear in his golden-yellow eyes. Another girl had silvery-blonde hair and wide violet eyes; her features delicate like that of a fairy or china doll. The last boy's violet eyes mirrored hers, dirty-blonde hair not quite like that of his cousin's.  
  
"The Wild Powers," Kat whispered in awe. One dragon, apparently the leader, threw back his head and laughed at the teens. The sound grated on everyone's already-raw nerves, and even a few people from Midnight shivered at the awful noise.  
  
"Who are you?" he demanded of the four teens. The red-haired girl boldly stepped to the front.  
  
"We are the Wild Powers; keepers of the blue fire," she said in a voice that rang with authority. This was Jez Redfern, the only half-human, half-lamia in existence. To her right was Delos Redfern; lamia prince of the Dark Kingdom. On her left were Iliana Harman; the pure-of-heart Witch Child, and Kierlan Harman; who CM had tried to entice to their side. They were the Wild Powers, four teens whose destiny it was to save the human race. The dragon merely snorted and pointed his head at them, five horns gleaming evilly in the light. Most of the other dragons had only one to three horns. This guy was very powerful.  
  
"Feel our power, foolish children!" Every last one of them sent a stream of black energy at Circle Daybreak, but the Wild Powers stood their ground and each recited their piece of the prophecy:  
  
"One from the land of kings long forgotten," Delos chanted.  
  
"One from the hearth which still holds the spark," Iliana said bravely.  
  
"One from the Day World where two eyes are watching," Jez added.  
  
"One from the twilight to be one with the dark," Kierlan finished. The vampires sliced their hands with daggers to get the blue fire while the witches loudly chanted:  
  
"Ours is the power of the ages. Ours is the power of the end of the world!" Blue fire shot up from all of them, and then some of the witches saw two women standing near the Wild Powers. While only in silhouette, they all knew who they were.  
  
"Great Goddess, Hecate and Hellewise," Norei realized, her breath catching in her throat. The two ancestors of the Harmans had risen from their milleniums of sleep to be at this final battle. Meanwhile, the blue fire lit up the figures of CS and friends, and night gave way to twilight as the two energies gained speed. The dragons and CM remained unafraid.  
  
"Twilight has fallen, the Night will not yield," Daemon whispered. As the blue fire came closer, Marik noticed a woman standing with CM, and he stopped breathing for a minute.  
  
"Maya," he finally gasped, referring to the first lamia: Hellewise's sister. Everyone had come back to join the party. Angel and Acil all of a sudden realized that they were all standing in between the two groups, right where the black energy and blue fire would collide.  
  
"RUN!" Acil screamed at everyone. When they all saw what was going to happen, they bolted, running for their lives.  
  
"This way, Acilacia. Bring them this way," a soft voice called out. The Luna looked around and saw a beautiful woman standing about fifty feet in front of her. Charcoal-black hair fell straight down to her chin, dark eyes outlined in gold makeup. A white shift hugged the contours of her body, every sensuous dip and curve clearly outlined. Gold and lapis lazuli jewelry decorated her clothing, neck, arms, and bare feet, and a golden crown rested on her head. Skin like that of polished bronze gleamed in the light. She was indeed a picture of renowned beauty.  
  
"Mother? But wha-" Isis held up one hand and silenced her daughter.  
  
"There is no time. Get everyone into a circle and join hands," she ordered. In a moment they had done what she'd asked, and a huge red dragon soared over their heads, startling a few people.  
  
"Daddy!" Teia shouted happily. Rastaban looked at his daughters.  
  
"Change quickly, girls," he told them. A minute later three red dragons were in the air.  
  
"Focus your energy," Angel said to the others on the ground. White light radiated from all of them, Isis and the dragons included, to form a bubble of pure energy around all of them. Out of the corner of her eye Acil saw a man jump into the group- just as the world exploded in flashes of black and blue. Unable to withstand the powerful forces assailing them, the entire group passed out. The land was plunged into absolute darkness. 


	8. The last Circle standing...

Chapter 8  
  
Ruby opened her eyes and blinked, her mind trying to piece together what she was seeing. Instead of piles of bodies lying all over the place, there was nothing! Aside from the blood-soaked earth, not a trace of the horrible battle remained. A terrifying thought swept through her, and she extended her hand and touched warm flesh. "Peter?" she asked, fearing the worst.  
  
"Mm-mmph! Mumph-muhum," a mumbled voice answered. A quick wetness tickled the bottom of her palm, and she looked over to see her hand over Peter's mouth. "Okay, I can take a hint. I talk too much," he said when she removed her hand and covered his mouth with hers instead.  
  
"Yes, you do," Austin agreed as he sat up, hugging Kat to him like she was his lifeline to the world. She just held him tightly, afraid he'd disappear if she let go. As the others regained consciousness they began searching for any other survivors. Acilacia looked around for her mother, but Isis had vanished. That was the nature of gods and goddesses, always coming and going when it suited their fancy. She was about to stand up when a tall figure stood in front of her and extended his hand.  
  
"Need a hand, m'lady?" a deep voice wondered. It stirred up memories in Acilacia's mind of a forgotten love and wasted years. Her eyes traveled up the man's muscular body to his golden-yellow eyes, which caught hold of her soul and held on tight. She accepted his hand, and as their skin touched, the soulmate-sparks propelled her into his arms. Words were not necessary as their minds opened up to each other.  
  
"Oh Hunter," she whispered into his ear, his blood-red hair tickling her face. Angel stood in front of Julian, his hands around her waist, watching the scene between her great-grandfather and her friend.  
  
"Are you jealous of their love?" Julian whispered, his lips brushing her neck in the barest of kisses. She pulled him around her like a living blanket, breathing in the sweet smell of darkness. It reminded her of chocolate and coffee with a dash of vanilla.  
  
"Who needs a soulmate? I have a Shadow Man." Teia was busy introducing her father to a few people. Rastaban smiled kindly at Dahlia, recognizing his childhood friend Tiamat in the young woman's eyes and regal bearing. Yes, she was definitely a princess. His obsidian-black eyes had no pupils, but their eerie coldness was forgotten when his broad smile lit up his face, softening his features. Black hair stuck up in soft spikes, occasionally falling into his eyes. While he looked thirty, the 'shifter before them was actually thousands of years old, dragons being immortal. Blaise was already assessing him.  
  
"Hey Ang', can we go home now?" Kat begged, wanting to leave this mysterious place of war and death.  
  
"Not until we figure out what the hell is going on." At that moment three women stepped into view from behind the trees, and all eyes were immediately glued to their figures.  
  
"Unity," the young girl greeted them. Her long white dress shimmered in the moonlight, a white veil shading her violet eyes; a trait which all the women shared. Silvery-blonde hair was pulled back into an elegant braid, which was wrapped around her head like a crown. She looked strikingly similar to Iliana Harman.  
  
"Unity," Skye returned the greeting. The woman smiled and moved to stand beside the girl, brown-leather dress rustling like leaves in the wind. Her coffee skin had a warm glow in the moonlight, black hair in a bun on top of her head. The old woman behind her was clothed all in black, but stood tall like the matriarch they knew her to be. Her white hair fell in thin strands around her pale chin.  
  
"Who are you?" Amy asked politely, her voice no louder than a whisper. It was clear that these women were witches.  
  
"We are the Maiden, Mother, and Crone. The three Fates," the woman replied sweetly, her voice musical like wind chimes.  
  
"You're real?" Faith accidentally said out loud, clapping a hand over her mouth before she got in trouble. She recalled that the Maiden, Mother, and Crone were positions in the Inner Circle, and had been patterned after the three Fates who controlled everyone's destiny.  
  
"Of course we're real," the Maiden giggled, putting a small hand on Faith's shoulder. She looked about twelve, but had to be much older.  
  
"Why are you here?" Daemon wanted to know. Silver was staring at the Crone, who looked strangely familiar to her. Something about a hill and her destiny. Oh well, she'd figure it out eventually. The Mother folded her hands and sighed, eyes fixed on the ground for a moment.  
  
"We're here to explain the prophecy."  
  
"We're listening," Leah assured her, Sage's arm firmly around her waist. A few people leaned closer to hear what was about to be said. The Crone stepped forward and gazed at the motley crew, eyes sharp and clear despite her eternal old age.  
  
"You are part of the prophecy." Someone coughed while others giggled, but most were too surprised to do anything but stare.  
  
"How so?" Nalaria wondered, putting a comforting hand on Norei's shaking shoulders to steady them. Truth be told, none of them were feeling particularly strong at that moment.  
  
"Twilight has fallen, the Night will not yield. Starlight shines on the bloody battlefield. The Goddess commands them; they hear her voice. Children of the Starlight: Destiny's Choice," the Maiden recited.  
  
"We're the Starlight in the prophecy. We're Circle Starlight," Angel pieced it together. The Fates nodded, small smiles tugging at the corners of their mouths. They were clearly pleased that someone had figured it out.  
  
"Yes. Each of you came here because we chose you to survive the Millenium War," the Mother added.  
  
"Wait. We're the only Night People who survived the Millenium?" Blaise asked fearfully, Thea's face clear in her mind. She would never forgive herself if anything had happened to her. The Maiden giggled and patted Blaise's arm with her small hand.  
  
"Don't worry about your cousin. We sent her away on purpose to save her and her soulmate."  
  
"My brother?" Dahlia wondered, her voice cracking.  
  
"Your parents sent him to a safe-house until after the Millenium just in case you didn't survive. He, Raksha, Winfrith, and Nissa are all safe." The three Johnsons all breathed out a sigh when they heard the good news about their last cousin, Nissa. Dahlia smiled while Lyca gave her shoulders a small squeeze. Acilacia didn't need to worry about her daughter or son-in- law. As a Luna and made-Lune, they were separate and apart from the Night World. Even Sasha's father was exempt from the Millenium War, he being a Lune; the male equivalent to the Luna.  
  
"But other than those people, we're the only ones left?" Marik pressed. The Fates nodded sadly.  
  
"Your Circle is the last stronghold of the Night World," the Mother told them, a sad smile on her face.  
  
"But why?" Julie demanded, her hazel-green eyes snapping in clear ferocity. She didn't want her life controlled by anyone other than herself. Patrick agreed with her, and held her close so that they would be seen as two people with the same thought. The Crone looked steadily into Julie's eyes for a moment before shifting to Patrick. One by one the old woman gazed into all their eyes, stopping at Hunter Redfern: Ex-leader of the Night World and until recently, a casualty of the blue fire.  
  
"The humans might be killing the Earth and each other, but there are enough of them who want the destruction to stop. We're giving them a thousand years to work it out."  
  
"What about us?" Rastaban brought up.  
  
"Circle Starlight will be the "policemen" of the Day World. You will be our eyes and ears until their time is up. If the humans have done as some promised and reformed, their race will continue for another thousand years. If not, the Night World will get another chance."  
  
"But only the vampires can live that long," Melody sadly pointed out.  
  
"Not anymore. Because you are the Watchers and Chroniclers, we have made all of you truly immortal. You cannot die or be killed for as long as humans rule the world. Nor will you age," the Mother informed them.  
  
"But why us?" Hunter rephrased the question. Acilacia knew he really meant "why me?", but she also wanted to know why CS had been chosen.  
  
"You all risked possible execution to remain neutral, and any of you could've survived whether Daybreak or Midnight won. This is your reward."  
  
"Survival and guaranteed immortality? Yeah, that sounds like a really good deal," Jake reasoned.  
  
"That's why you sent me back. Because I'd died protecting this Circle's neutrality," Silver realized. The Crone just nodded, pleased the young 'shifter had figured it out.  
  
"And Hunter?" Acil asked, her hand clenched tightly around her soulmate's palm. The Maiden stared up at the two vampires, her purple eyes burning into their green and yellow ones.  
  
"We decided to give him another chance." Her voice was flat and unemotional, and Hunter closed his eyes and bowed his head.  
  
"Thank you," he whispered as the girl smiled brightly again.  
  
"So what happened to the other Daybreakers?" Poppy wanted to know. Even though she and James had left, a lot of those people had been their friends. It would be awful if they were all dead.  
  
"They became a part of the race which they fought so valiantly to protect," the Mother answered.  
  
"They're humans?" Mike didn't even try to keep the shock out of his voice. The Mother only looked at him.  
  
"It was the only way to save them. Time is now acting as if there was never a Night World. Whatever race they were and however many centuries they had lived doesn't matter now. You all are the only ones to keep your powers. Circle Midnight is gone forever, and Circle Daybreak is now completely human and mortal."  
  
"All right, we'll be your police-people," Angel agreed, eager to settle her affairs and go home. The Fates smiled kindly and vanished into thin air. A single piece of parchment fluttered to the ground, faded-ink writing covering most of it. At the same time, a silver goblet winked into existence. Gems of ruby, emerald, sapphire, topaz, diamond, opal, and others were shining in the moonlight. Dark-red liquid glistened inside the cup, but Angel knew it was more than blood.  
  
"This is a ceremony," Dahlia realized as she scanned the page while leaning over her friend's shoulder.  
  
"So let's perform it," Skye encouraged. The entire group stood in a tight circle, eyes fixed on Angel as she began to read:  
  
"The ceremony begins; We'll tell what we know. Blood of our ancestors; Magick of old." She passed the paper to Blaise, who recited:  
  
"Hearts are light; Spirits draw near. Our will is strong; We show no fear." Amy read next:  
  
"Our Circle, our family; In them we trust. We do what we can; Live as we must." Melody had the last part:  
  
"Whenever we're needed; We will heed the call. This Cup of Life; Will bind us all." Angel took the cup and drank from it, the warm liquid tingling all the way down her throat. As the cup was passed around to everyone, mist began to collect and rise in the center of the circle. It surrounded them all and seemed to pulse with its own energy, tugging at their souls. When the cup reached Amber she took a sip, and then the world was opened to her. Smells of the earth, air, a faint water source, and her friends assailed her nostrils like expensive perfumes. She could see everyone's auras clearly now, and the rainbow colors twisted together to bind them all into one being; one life force. She was pleased to see her own ice-blue aura among the dancing colors. Memories not her own flooded into her mind, the good mixed in with the bad. There was one where she was sucking the life out of a human man, another where she was running through the forest in a large pack of wolves, and still another where she felt safe in the company of her sister witches. As the cup made its way around the circle, more people's auras came into focus. Now the energy was building, quickening their pulses and breathing; letting them know something was about to happen. Then, as if someone had cued them in, they all shouted in one loud voice:  
  
"In Circle Starlight, the Night World lives on. We are survivors, the few and the strong!" Their dancing auras intensified in color and shot into the center of the ring. Everyone gasped as the light and energy shot into their bodies, binding them forever to each other. Colors shifted before their eyes as all the auras merged into one blinding ray of pure, white light. When at last the light faded, Ruby looked down and saw a pendant hanging by a short silver chain from her neck. The pendant was of a rainbow pentagram, but if she tilted it the right way it shone the color of her sky- blue aura.  
  
"Now that was cool," Derrick commented, the now-rising sun lighting up his pendant. Hunter gazed down at the star around his neck and the picked up Acil, swinging her in a circle. Both of them had ear-to-ear grins plastered across their faces.  
  
"Well Angel, we really should be going," Acil told her as the couple descended to gather her things. When they came out again Acilacia waved to everyone as they left, giving her address to Amber so they could keep in touch. When the lamia looked at her book, she realized the address was for Moscow, Russia. "We're going to see Sasha." The couple walked hand-in-hand down the road.  
  
'I'm so proud of you, Angel Redfern,' Hunter's voice whispered in her mind. The young woman smiled at the praise.  
  
"We should be heading back too," Kalli brought up as she shooed her sisters downstairs to pack. One by one the various sub-groups headed off in their separate directions, all of them promising to write or call so they could see one another again someday. Amber wrote down all the phone numbers and addresses in her book, keeping a permanent record of the group. Bobbi, Mike, Luke, and Melody left for Virginia, eager to get back to their own beds. Kalli, Moonlight, and Crystal began the drive back to Hampton Bay. Jake and Lilli were hoping to catch a plane to Florida while Chandra and Dagan wanted to take Faith back to Quebec. Dahlia just wanted to see her house in Las Vegas again. Rastaban took Teia, Raven, and Jezabell with him to Europe. Nalaria and Norei wanted to hop a plane to Africa. Angel finally told the others to pack up while Julian got the cars. Daemon was busy getting some of the food when Jason came in.  
  
"Hey Daemon, do you really want to be immortal?" he asked, rubbing his foot back and forth across the floor. A little surprised at the blunt question, the witch stopped his packing and turned to face the younger man.  
  
"Jason, think about it. We'll never have to worry about getting sick or hurt, we'll never grow old, and we can't die. And if humans don't behave, then the Night World will take over and we'll just live out our natural lives." The wolf still seemed uneasy. It wasn't that he didn't like being immortal, it just felt weird to him.  
  
"A thousand years is a long time. What if I get tired of living after a few hundred years?"  
  
"I will hit you upside your head with a frying pan," Amber stated from the doorway. Daemon stifled a laugh while Jason grinned sheepishly.  
  
"Promise?" Marik came up behind Amber, his hand playing lightly across her back.  
  
"If she doesn't, I will," he promised. All four of them laughed and quickly finished packing the food into various coolers. Leah walked in to find Sage putting the last of his things into a duffel bag while Ruby and Peter were getting their suitcases in order.  
  
"Hi Leah, you going home?" Sage asked politely, zipping up his bag.  
  
"Yeah, Dahlia wants to get going." Ruby tugged on Peter's sleeve, realizing they should leave the two Old-Souls alone. He just stared at her in puzzlement as she dragged him out the door. Sometimes he could be so dense, but that was guys for you.  
  
"Well I guess this is goodbye then," Sage was saying as he bit his lip. Leah just nodded, her eyes focused on the ground.  
  
"I guess so." Suddenly they dropped their suitcases and held each other tight, Leah crying and Sage with tears in his eyes.  
  
"Come with me, Leah. I'll take care of you," he promised, whispering sweetly in her ear.  
  
"But what about Dahlia and the others? I can't just leave them after all this time," she replied through her tears.  
  
"Oh yes you can," a contralto voice argued from the doorway. Lyca stood there with her arms folded across her stomach and a mischievous light in her brown eyes. "Go with him. You two deserve each other."  
  
"But what about-" Leah began to protest when Lyca shushed her.  
  
"I'll tell Dahlia and Skye your decision. And we'll still see each other every once in a while. I want you to be happy, Leah." The other girl could only nod, a shy smile lighting up her face. Lyca kissed her on the cheek and then turned to Sage. "You take good care of her," she ordered him. Sage smiled and nodded as Lyca left the room to head home with her other two companions. Leah and Sage headed to the car, and Ruby smiled brightly when she saw them together. Peter still looked confused, but he was happy for his best friend.  
  
"We're going home!" Kat yelled to the sun as she danced in the dew-covered grass. Austin smiled at his kitty-witch, reveling in her sweet innocence. He had often thought of living the later years of his "natural" life without her by his side. Now he had at least a millennia to be with her. Giving in to the happy mood she was spreading, he joined her in a mini- celebration dance. All too soon everyone else was ready, so they reluctantly stopped their dancing. Rain hugged Amber and Derrick before she and Delvain began the long trek back to the nearest town where they hoped to board a bus bound for Boston, and eventually get a plane back to England.  
  
"We'll write!" they promised as their figures disappeared down the road. Following Angel, Blaise, and Julian, the rest of the group got into their cars and began to head home. At the edge of the valley Angel stopped her Ferrari and got out while the rest of the caravan halted and then stood with her, gazing down at the blood-covered grass far below them.  
  
"Gone. In just one night the entire Night World is gone," Angel sighed, a sad look on her face.  
  
"Fate can be a cruel mistress sometimes," Sage told her. Leah stood  
  
by his side, blue-gray eyes focused on the empty land below them. They had been the last ones to leave the secluded cabin, the Night Raiders having left an hour before for Rhode Island. Patrick and Julie had been with them, their place in the group reinstated now that they no longer had to fear the Council or its rules. After a little while the group returned to their cars to go home. They and the others are the survivors, the believers, and the warriors.  
  
They are Children of the Starlight: Destiny's choice.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Here ends the account of the last days before the Millenium, written in the words of the Chronicler of Circle Starlight, Amber Marie Johnson. I hereby affirm that the words are true and accurate, and that the events of which I have written took place from December 25, 1999 to January 1, 2000. Circle Starlight is the last part of the Night World that is still in existence today. We have been charged as the Watchers and Chroniclers of the human race, recording their progress until the year 3000, when they will be judged again by the three Fates. So if any of you humans are reading this, know one thing:  
  
The Children of the Starlight are watching you! 


End file.
